


I See Fire

by Notasmuch



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, BDSM, Child Abuse, Cock & Ball Torture, M/M, Magic, Multi, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Rimming, Triggers, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-10 05:49:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 70,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2013450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notasmuch/pseuds/Notasmuch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry, a nymph without family, has been living alone in his forest for a really, really long time. His decades long peace is interrupted by two scared boys who just need a place to rest for a few days.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Many many SO MANY thanks to [Tanni](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Tanni) for cheerleading, handholding, idea sharing and most importantly BETAING THIS ENTIRE THING. Seriously, what. 
> 
> Explanation for child abuse tag in the end notes, as well as some other spoilery things. Mostly I would suggest you check out the detailed BDSM explanation also in the end notes if you have any issues with pain or consent at all.  
> The tag explanation makes the story sound very dark, I promise it's not, I just don't want people being involved in fluffy feelings and then suddenly triggered by something. 
> 
> The fic is very much OT5 but the 3 pairings I pulled out are the specific ones that seem relevant for the story development.

**Harry**

The first year was the hardest. Harry woke up every morning hoping it was just a bad dream, but the freezing silence of the lake would remind him he was still all alone. There were no songs, no soft steps on the grass trying to sneak up to him and surprise him, no sound of his mother's stifled laughter as she watched her children play. Just silence so oppressive he wanted to find a way to disappear in it.

Sometime during the second year he realized he had to leave the lake. Even though he let all the trees and flowers around him die, somehow the place still reminded him of everything he missed. Or maybe it reminded him of everything he would never have. So he got up and started walking. And he didn't stop for a long, long time.

-

Harry woke up when his tree started shaking. It was clearly upset, and it wasn't the only one. When Harry stepped out he could feel the entire forest holding its breath in fear. "He is coming!" was all he felt. He had no idea who "he" was or why it was such a big deal that he was coming. Harry had lived in this tree in this part of the forest for a while and had seen all kinds of animals pass, but the forest rarely cared about any of them. He touched the bark of his oak, trying to calm it down. "He will pass," he tried projecting. But the oak just shivered stronger, "not this time."

Harry stood and waited, but as time passed and nothing happened, the forest around him started moving again. The birds were the first to sound the passing of danger, then insects and squirrels and finally trees, stretching out and enjoying the first morning rays of sun, somewhat rare in their part of the world. He didn't know what the danger had been, but despite his oak's warning, it seemed to be over now. He caressed it gently one more time before he went and did his morning rounds.

He adored his forest. It was one of the most beautiful forests in the world. He knew, because he'd passed through many in his time. As a nymph, Harry knew his job was to take care of his land, and he took his job very seriously. Maybe more seriously than most, because most nymphs were busy making friends, dancing and seducing strangers. But Harry didn't have those distractions, because he was alone. He had been alone for a very, very long time. So when he wanted to, he could grow brooklime in the middle of winter, just tiny blue dots breaking out through the snow cover. When he got bored, he could write poems in canterbury bells across the clearing near his oak. And if he got lonely, he could put his hands on the neighbouring pine tree and make it grow branches so long and thick with leaves they sang with happiness.

Every morning he would go for a little walk, check up on his flowers, feel if the trees needed anything, try to pay attention to anyone who might need him, give them a little boost or a little love. He was doing the same this morning, just petting a saffron's little petal head when he felt it. Not just the forest around him going completely still but he, himself, could actually feel the danger. His lungs froze, warning that if he took a breath he would be heard, but another part of him already knew it was too late for hiding. He turned around slowly.

The werewolf was gigantic. It was brown and grey with long hair, matted and dirty. Its teeth were bared and it had that air of aggressive desperation regular wolves only had when they were starved. Even though he could only see the one, Harry knew more were hiding around, werewolves always came in packs. And left very few survivors.

The werewolf crouched and Harry closed his eyes. There was nothing he could do.

"Liam!" A shout from somewhere deeper in the forest startled Harry into taking a step back until he fell down in a shrub, fists suddenly full of mud and leaves and his face level with the werewolf's. One second he was staring at the beast, counting its teeth, the next there was a pale creature sprawling face down on top of the ‘wolf, smiling nervously and patting the ‘wolf's neck.

"Sorry, sorry," the creature said in a breathless rush, "he's angry and hungry but he won't hurt you, I think. You won't hurt him, right?" He looked down at the ‘wolf, bent over the angry looking head to peer into his eyes. "Liam?" His voice turned softer and his hand stilled on the beast's neck. "Please?"

The ‘wolf exhaled, releasing all the anger with his breath and sheathing its teeth. It didn't change back but it shook its head in a move that Harry recognized. The forest around them didn't exactly relax, this time, but it seemed to keep on living. Which was good, Harry could feel it under his fingers, buzzing, demanding answers.

The pale creature slid off the ‘wolf and let it move slowly towards a tree where it lay down and looked, sullenly it seemed, away from them. "I'm Niall," he said, "and that's Liam. I'm sorry if we scared you. We've travelled for a long time and we're tired and hungry. Sometimes frustration gets the better of us." He shrugged and smiled like he was sorry but there wasn't much he could do about it, which Harry thought was probably true.

He finally got up from his shrub and nodded back at Niall, still trying to figure out what kind of a creature he was. "I'm Harry. This is my home. I'm a nymph." It had been a long time since Harry spoke to someone who wasn't his trees or flowers, since he used his voice, really. He was surprised by all the things he suddenly wanted to say to this stranger, just because he was there. But he stopped himself and just in time since Niall's smile would have broken his train of thought anyway.

"A nymph! That's amazing. No wonder this place is so beautiful!"

And Harry felt his own lips stretch into a smile because yes, he knew his forest was beautiful, but this was the first time someone new saw it, and they liked it too.

"Where are you travelling to?" Harry didn't know why that one was the first of many questions going through his mind to leave his mouth, but he didn't have the best control of that anymore, so maybe that was why.

"We don't know." Niall's happy smile suddenly disappeared and Harry was angry at himself for asking the wrong thing. He wouldn't mind having someone to talk to, but it wouldn't happen if he drove them away with wrong questions. "Our forest, where we live, it burned down. It will grow back, you know how it is, but until it does, we need a place to stay, so we're looking for somewhere safe, and a bit out of reach.

"Here is safe," Harry said. He heard the werewolf huff but wasn't sure it was directed at them. It _had been_ safe before the werewolf came anyway so he had no room to complain.

Niall just blinked at him though. "Thank you, but your family might not be as easy going about it. We are strangers barging in on your land."

Harry swallowed a lump and looked around, uncomfortable. He never had to say it before, there was no one left to tell. "I don't have a family." His lungs seemed to be hurting, but he wasn't sure why. He was still looking at a tree over Niall's shoulder when he felt something cold on his fingers and looked town to see it was the ‘wolf, licking his hand. He screamed and fell back into the shrub which got Niall giggling and the werewolf huffing, this time definitely at him.

Niall reached out to help him get up and didn't let go even when Harry was safely back on his feet. "I'm sorry," Niall said, "about your family." Harry nodded, but didn't mind looking at Niall as he did it and it felt strangely good, to have someone say they were sorry so honestly, while holding his hand. "Liam is too. That's what he was trying to say." Niall let go of his hand and Harry wanted to grab it again. Instead, he looked down at the ‘wolf and smiled when he looked at the beast's eyes. They seemed warmer, now that he was sure he wasn't going to get eaten. But looking at the ‘wolf's dirty hair Harry remembered what he had been trying to say.

"Oh, yes. You can stay, if you want to, until your home is better or you have a place to go." Harry wanted to question why he was insisting on this but he was usually pretty self-aware and he knew if he ever tried to get to the depth of his loneliness he would probably die where he was standing, so he chose not to. He knew why he wanted someone around, and Niall smiled like sunshine and Liam… had warm eyes when he wasn't trying to eat him.

Liam was actually staring up at Niall at the moment, intensely, and Niall was staring back, there was a conversation going on that Harry wasn't privy to. So he fidgeted and looked around and it lasted long enough for him to notice Niall was covered with cloth. The only creatures that Harry knew did that were humans. But he didn't know if they could appear out of thin air like Niall had. Maybe he should have checked what Niall was before he invited him to stay indefinitely.

"Alright," Niall and Liam both turned to him, their decision apparently made, "if you'll have us, we'll stay for a bit." Harry smiled and clapped his hands and the tree over them started growing so suddenly it scared the birds living in it into pooing on Harry's shoulder. Niall's laughter kept Harry smiling even as he tried to clean it away.

-

When he finally found his oak, decided to settle down and started growing his plants, Harry took over a pretty small patch of land. But as time went by, he got bored and began spreading around slowly to places no other creature claimed as their own, until eventually he had a very large breadth of undisputed forest. Other than one notable exception, which he never felt sorry for, the moment he would feel he was near another's land, he would go back and because he respected their borders they respected his and he never even learned who his neighbours were. He supposed Niall and Liam were from one of those areas, and he worried about the fire that ate their home, if it was still spreading and if his other neighbours would be all right. He wasn't sure how to ask about Niall and Liam's families or packs so he didn't. Instead, he told them to look for a place they would feel comfortable living at, and showed them his own oak, proud when he saw Niall's shocked face. It was a magnificent oak.

They picked a pine near his tree, across and just a bit to the right with roots all wild and twisted, wider than his oak. At first Harry was surprised about the size because he liked the safety of a snug tree around him, but then he realized they would live there together and oh, there was a fire in his belly and he had to turn around quickly when he saw Niall's hand on Liam's head.

He took them down to the stream, next. It was clean and fresh, and even when most of it was frozen in the winter, there was still a steady flow under the ice. He watched Liam lap at the water and wondered if he ever turned were'. He wasn't sure if that was a polite question though. He'd never met a werewolf who wasn't out hunting.

He thought that might be it, when they were done with home and water but Niall fidgeted as they got closer to their trees. "So, the thing is, Liam needs to eat," Niall said. He smiled that "what can you do" smile again and Harry realized it was a very appropriate expression. Liam did need to eat. And probably not as rarely as Harry. Probably now, actually.

"He can hunt. Can you hunt?" He directed the question directly at Liam and got a wolfy nod in return. "I don't take care of the animals, just the plants. The animals come and go. So you can do what you would normally do. I eat fish, mostly. And sunflowers." He frowned. Too much information. "So you can hunt."

Liam looked at him and he was a 'wolf at the moment so it couldn't be a real smile, but it looked close enough, and included lots of teeth. Then he stretched and took a leap and disappeared deeper into the forest.

The moment he was gone, while Niall was still looking in the direction he ran to, Harry felt the full force of his forest hit him, questions and worry and fear about strangers and strange magic and dangerous creatures. So Harry sat down on the ground with his fingers around some roots and tried to explain.

He poured his feelings into the ground and he knew the forest wouldn't understand it all -  how could a forest understand loneliness - but it trusted him, when he said it would be okay, that this change was positive. He felt bad, like a liar, when he felt the deer fall under Liam, somewhere close by, but one thing forest did understand was circle of life, and as one creature mourned, many more started preparing for a feast.

He asked about the fire, if it was dangerous, how close, was it coming their way? The trees didn't know what he was asking about, there was no fire.

When he looked up, Niall was sitting near his tree, looking at him with a small smile. Harry got the feeling he would learn to read a lot of different smiles. He had so many questions but beneath the sunshine smiles Niall looked tired and frayed and Harry didn't have the heart to make him talk. When Liam returned, even though it was still early in the day, the two of them curled up under a tangle of roots and fell asleep. Harry spent the rest of the day looking at them and petting their tree to make it grow stronger.

**

**Niall**

Sun was starting to set by the time Niall stirred. He knew Liam was awake, sprawled over him like an overprotective blanket. He wrapped his fingers in the mess of mud and hair on Liam's neck and wondered if there was a proper river nearby, Harry couldn't be getting fish from the small stream he showed them earlier. Liam nuzzled closer, asking for more but Niall couldn't break through the knots. Washing was the first thing they had to do.

He looked over to Harry's oak and saw him lying against it, completely naked and careless of it, with his eyes closed. He could have been sleeping or just talking to his plants, either way he was relaxed and seemed content to just be there, not worried about potentially dangerous strangers suddenly interrupting his life. He felt Liam turn to look at what had Niall's heart speeding up. There was a low growl against his neck but he just flicked one of Liam's ears teasingly. "Don't pretend, you know he's beautiful." He got a quick lick on his chin as a reply and he knew he was right. When he looked at Harry again his eyes were open and looking directly at them.

Niall blushed, wondering if he was overheard. "Sorry, we were really tired."

Harry smiled at them – the combination of his smile and the way his eyes seemed to shine green in the sunset did horrible things to his heartbeat that had Liam nudging him restlessly - and got up to stretch, which was even worse, so Niall had to grab Liam around his neck to stop him from getting up and probably doing something reckless. "Don't worry about it. You must be exhausted." His face became so sad and worried when he said it that Niall felt almost bad for lying to him. He couldn't make himself fully regret it though, he only lied when he had to. They had been running, just not from a fire and they would be again when this break was over. Niall rubbed his face against Liam's muzzle, ignoring the dirt there. It was worth it.

"Is there a river or a lake nearby, do you know?" Niall asked. "We're both incredibly dirty and I think diving under might be the quickest solution?."

Harry nodded but he looked worried. "I do. Do you want to go now?"

Niall nudged Liam and the ‘wolf jumped up, practically wagging his tail, so Niall laughed and agreed, "Now works."

It was a long walk to the river and Niall couldn't help but wonder if they were crossing turfs, if all this land was really Harry's. The main reason he and Liam couldn't settle down was that there was practically no free land any more, and if you found some you had to fight to the - probably quick and painful - death to get it. And then Harry, living alone, had _so much_ and nothing to do with it. Niall found himself feeling sad for everyone involved. Harry, who had clearly been alone for too long, and himself and Liam who would never find a place of their own. He heard a soft whine and knew Liam was sensing his distress. He reached out and petted Liam's head. It was strange, looking at Liam in his wolf form for so long, but he knew Liam preferred to experience new places and new creatures with his sharper wolf senses.

When Harry started slowing down Niall paused and he could hear and smell the river. The air was fresher and he was imagining just jumping in and swimming for however long it took for him to feel clean again. He was sure Liam felt the same.

"You can find it now, just straight ahead, I'll wait for you here," Harry was saying, but his back was turned and his voice sounded even slower than normal. Niall reached out to get him to turn but Harry flinched at the same moment when Liam growled. Niall retreated, suddenly afraid. Maybe they weren't the dangerous strangers, maybe Harry was. He took another step back but Liam just nudged him toward the river instead. He had no idea what was going on, but Liam was leading the way now and Harry stood back in the shadows, apparently waiting.

"What's going on, Liam?" he asked when they were out of the nymph's earshot.

Liam just looked over his shoulder, not willing to switch back long enough to explain. Niall sighed and was just about to consider sulking when he saw it. The moon was still low and young but the river glistened under it, wide and fast, just waiting for them. Instead of sulking he ran towards it, not even bothering to take his clothes off, ran off the bank into the water with a victorious shout that turned into a giggle just before he hit the water.

It was perfect. The water was cold but he got used to it quickly and he just kept diving in, not bothering to close his eyes, catching little slivers of silver under and above water. He felt Liam's fur brush against his ribs where his shirt was riding up and he reached out to both hug him and start cleaning him.

Niall wasn't sure how long they were in the river but his fingers were pruned, his clothes were drying on the bank and Liam was clean by the time they decided to get out. He was just about to start swimming towards the bank when he heard a scared voice calling out for them.

"Harry!" he jumped up in the water and waved, "we're here!" He looked towards where he thought Harry would be but couldn't see him. Liam was growling softly again but Niall started pushing him out of the river. "Use your words if you have something to say," he grumbled and got out.

He heard branches and leaves crunching a few meters from them but Liam's reaction told him it was just Harry. "Sorry, it's been a long time since we…" he stopped, not sure what to say that wouldn't give them away.

"It's okay, I was just worried, you were in there for a long time and the river is fast, I thought something might have happened."

An awkward silence fell over them and Niall could feel how full of secrets and uncertainty it was. With it came the realization that he was naked. Harry was clearly used to it but he wasn't. Niall grew up in a town full of humans and learned their moral values before he knew creatures like nymphs even existed. He picked up his clothes but they were still wet so he made himself new ones, easier than drying these, not as embarrassing as standing around naked. Not that Harry was or should have been embarrassed.

Until Liam decided to dry himself off. The huge wolf had to shake the water off and the movement went from his head to his tail, with icy droplets of water hitting Niall right in the face. He jumped and cursed and from the forest a sound of hundreds of tiny bells rang out and hit Niall straight into all the places only his boyfriend knew about. He gasped and doubled over at the sensation before he realized it was Harry laughing. Not like he had laughed earlier that day when Niall told a bad joke, deep and amused. Of course not, Niall realized. It was night, they were on a river bank, and Harry was a _nymph_. Niall, on the other hand, was an idiot. Liam was projecting the same thought at him and really, he was the least helpful person ever. "Shut up."

Harry seemed to have realized what had happened and he was apologizing from the dark but Niall just waved at him. "It's okay. I totally forgot, I'm sorry. You'd think I'd be constantly aware of these things but I just forget to pay attention, I guess." It was an excuse he'd used since he had been ten years old and his grandparents wanted him to start being one with nature. He'd regretted not caring about it more a million times since he left. He never really felt "one" with nature, even though it was supposed to be the most integral part of him.

Harry walked in front of him until they couldn't hear the river any more, and then fell back into step with Liam and Niall. Niall couldn't see his face but it was clear he still wanted to apologize. Niall wasn't up for that. "So is the river yours?" he asked what he'd been wondering all along.

"I mean, rivers don't really belong to anyone, do they? I can say a tree is mine because it can't go anywhere, but a river is never in the same place twice, who can own it?"

Niall tried laughing discreetly but he almost choked on his own spit so it came out mocking instead of just amused. Harry had stopped talking and Niall couldn't have that.

"Oh god, I'm sorry, I wasn't laughing at you, and you're not wrong, it's just a really deep answer and I'm a dick, sorry."

The moonlight was weak but he could still see Harry turn to smile at him. "It's okay. Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Not at all," Niall said, but he felt Liam press closer to his body and knew they were both giving comfort to each other.

"I'm sorry if this is a rude question but I tried figuring it out and I can't. Um, what are you?"

Niall stopped in his tracks and slapped his forehead. "I'm _such_ a dick. I'm a leprechaun, I can't believe I didn't tell you, we were so tired and just, sorry, sorry." He kept on walking but he knew Liam was laughing at him, he'd probably noticed that Niall forgot. He flicked Liam's ear in revenge.

Harry laughed, his regular one, still nice but noticeably less like a punch to the gut. "We should stop apologizing, maybe. I haven't been around anyone not a plant in a while and you guys are clearly shaken up, maybe we don't have to be perfectly polite."

"Maybe you're right," Niall smiled at Harry and then he and Liam both laughed when Harry tripped over a branch and fell on his face.

After sleeping for most of the day, going back to sleep seemed like it shouldn't be possible, but in this haven, for the first time in a long while, Niall felt like he could not just rest but actually _sleep_. Close his eyes and dream and wake up slowly and maybe make out with his boyfriend, if he ever turned back to his more attractive self.

He wished Harry a good night and left his clothes out on a branch, maybe starting to get used to the nudity himself, and pulled Liam deep under the roots of their tree, where no one could find them. Niall wrapped himself around Liam's wolf body and closed his eyes, but the moon was high in the sky when they finally managed to fall asleep. Liam wasn't talking but Niall knew they were both thinking the same thing, how lucky they were to have this moment, and how hard it would be to move on.

**

** Liam **

Liam woke up feeling safe. It was the first time in two years that he felt that and he was afraid it was just a part of the dream, any second now a branch would crack and he would have to start running again. But when he opened his eyes he was in a softly lit, dry hole under a tree, "their" tree, Harry had said yesterday, and the only sounds around him were animals and Niall's breathing.

He stretched out his limbs and let his were' form shape. Niall turned and smiled in his sleep, probably feeling the change. His arms wrapped around Liam's neck and they were kissing before he was even fully awake. Liam couldn't remember the last time they could just lie around and kiss and touch without fear and desperation pushing them forward. He was a little afraid that once the danger was gone Niall would realize Liam was a really boring, stubborn werewolf, not nearly worthy of the time they'd spent hiding from their families. Liam got lost in the negative thoughts, not for the first time, and only snapped back to the moment when Niall clipped him behind the ear. "Ouch."

"We're safe."

Liam giggled and rubbed his face against Niall's neck. "I know." It was a good thing.

It was almost noon when they made their way out of their shelter. Harry was nowhere to be seen. It worried Liam. He knew Harry wasn't lying when he asked Niall who he was last night, but maybe he remembered hearing something, maybe he was a really good trickster, Liam had never met a nymph before, he didn't know how well they could lie. And Niall being all calm about Harry's disappearance wasn't helping.

"Niall." He looked at his boyfriend desperately. "He's not here."

"He has a huge forest to tend to, he'll be back, he won't betray us, don't worry." Liam could see and hear that Niall actually believed it.

"Liam," Niall got into a habit of saying his name in what he probably thought was a calming tone but it made Liam nervous because it usually came as a comfort just before they had to start running. "I don't know why, but I trust him, and I know you do too. And if he fooled us both, then, well, we'll deal with it."

Niall hugged him and Liam accepted it, of course he did, Niall and Liam were in this together. Although, Liam was aware they worried about very different things. Niall knew his family and he worried they would be forced apart. But Liam knew his own family and he worried they would be killed.

He agreed with Niall at the moment though and decided to focus on the more current problems, like his nakedness. He waved a hand at himself, asking Niall for some clothes silently and then punched him in the arm when all Niall did was nod and smile. "Clothes, you arse, now please."

Niall pouted but made him some. Liam didn't really care about his clothes much but he was getting a little tired of Niall's go-to choice: sleeveless white shirt and jeans. There was more to life than white shirts and jeans.

"Thank you," he said anyway, because he was a polite werewolf.

They spent a few more minutes teasing each other and were just done resettling the roots of their tree to suit them a bit better, when Harry came back. Liam suspected the plants told Harry they were up, and he wasn't sure how he felt about being spied on by trees. If Harry ever decided to chase them, they wouldn't be safe anywhere in the forest.

But right now, Harry's wide smile made him seem the opposite of threatening. Experiencing Harry when in were' form was pretty interesting. As a 'wolf, Liam focused a lot on smell and instinct. Without those, the were' side relied on the visual, and Harry's smile and the awkward open way he moved did a lot to calm Liam's worries. He forgot that Harry hadn't seen him in this form before, but he was pleased to notice that the nymph just nodded at him, recognizing the change but not coming over to introduce himself again. Liam appreciated it when people didn't act like the 'wolf was a separate part of him, he didn't get a lot of that kind of understanding from the humans he grew up surrounded by.

"I have fish," Harry said and lifted a stick Liam hadn't noticed before, holding what must have been ten perches. "And some sunflowers." A bit to the left of the oak was a well-used hearth and Harry started a fire there while Niall and Liam washed up at the stream. When they got back, Harry had a sunflower on another stick and baking over the fire and the fish were still lying near him. He picked them up and offered them raw. Liam ate raw meat in his 'wolf form, though never fish and never as were', and Niall ate mainly vegetables and if left to his own devices he overcooked even them, so they both made horrified faces and flinched at what was probably a kind offer from the nymph.

When Harry's face fell Liam got a very strong urge to punch himself. It was a small pout but over it was actual shame because Harry didn't even know what he did wrong and it was the saddest thing Liam had ever seen. A quick glance confirmed Niall felt the same. "No, mate, thank you, that's..." Liam started but wasn't sure how to finish, so luckily Niall stepped in, "kind. But we cook fish. Well, Liam does, I'd actually prefer the sunflower, if that's okay?" Niall's Irish charm was irresistible, Liam knew, so Harry stopped the sad face, even though he was clearly confused by the concept of non-raw fish.

Liam and Niall joined him around the hearth and they shared the breakfast. It was a quiet but happy start to the day, even if they had to look away every time Harry bit into a raw – and Liam was pretty sure sometimes alive – fish.

"So," Harry started, still chewing, "I don't know if you wanted to rest for a few days, but if you are interested I could show you around, take you to see the river at daylight and there's a castle if we have time to walk there, and not that far from here there's a place I sort of helped make that I would like you to see. But we don't have to do it all, or anything, really, if you don't want to."

Liam looked at Niall for confirmation. That morning they had agreed they would stay for a few days. Harry would probably be okay with them for that long and it gave them plenty of time to rest and get their strength back. But walking around this beautiful place with Harry sounded better than just lying in place all the time, they'd done that before, it got boring quickly, so they agreed to the tour. Harry grinned at them and it was so nice they didn't even comment on the fish bits he was still pulling out from between his teeth.

-

So Liam's perception of Harry as a person didn't change much when he went from 'wolf to were', he seemed like a pretty honest nymph. But one thing that was perfectly normal and helpful to the 'wolf, that Liam now had a hard time dealing with, was Harry's carefree nudity. He had noticed Niall's interest yesterday and he could understand it even then, but watching Harry's bony arse try to bounce in front of them was making walking a bigger issue than it needed to be. Liam's interest wasn't deterred even by Harry's habit to trip over precisely nothing and catch himself from falling in the most graceless ways possible. Niall seemed to be having the same problem and he and Liam ended up staring at each other helplessly more than once as Harry chatted on and pointed at various plants along the way. His deep, slow voice could have been monotone, but he was so enthusiastic about his forest and amused by his clumsiness that they ended up smiling and laughing most of the walk.

Liam thought they were going to the river first but Harry turned them around until Liam thought he wouldn't know which way they were going if not for his 'wolf orientation. Niall looked pretty confused.

When Harry finally stopped, they reached a clearing and the sun was suddenly in their eyes so it took them a while to see what Harry wanted them to.

He heard Niall's breathless "wow" before his eyes adjusted. The clearing was a large flowerbed, colourful and lively on its own, but covering it were what seemed like thousands of red and yellow butterflies. Harry stood a bit to the side and looked a mix of proud and worried. Some of the butterflies were drawn to them and started landing on their hair and shoulders. They seemed to love Niall particularly and kept trying to land on his nose and cheeks but Niall would smile or twitch or blink and they would fly away. Liam felt a giggle of pure happiness burst out of him.

"You made this happen?" he asked Harry.

"Sort of. I'm not destroying the natural balance or anything," he explained quickly, "it's just these flowers don't usually thrive here, not like this. And it's a bit hard to make them survive for so long. That's all." He smiled and shrugged and before Liam or Niall could say anything he started walking towards the middle of the field. Some of the butterflies rose, startled, but a lot of them didn't seem to care. Harry looked like pure magic, half covered half surrounded by butterflies, and Liam knew he and Niall were both responding to it, the tug of real, ancient magic that they hadn't been used to, raised in cities, with mostly human friends and even families.

"It's beautiful," Niall said, loud enough for Harry to hear, "there's so many of them."

Liam was close enough to hear Niall's breath hitch at the end of the sentence. He reached out and took Niall's hand. The butterflies were beautiful, but standing there together, happy, with Harry's power surrounding them was too much in the best and worst way possible. Liam saw Niall smile his broken "it has to get better" smile and his eyes tear up so he moved closer, wrapped his arms around Niall's shoulders and kissed his temple.

"I hate this," Niall whispered into his shoulder, but wasn't quiet enough for Harry who came closer, probably when he saw Niall tear up, and just released a sad "oh" when he heard.

Niall reached out and grabbed Harry's hand without moving away from Liam. "Not this, your home is amazing, and this place is, just, magic." Liam nodded in agreement, but pressed a finger into Niall's back to remind him that Harry didn't know where they came from. The way he stuttered over the next sentence, he had needed the reminder. "But just, that we can't be home, because of what happened."

Harry made an understanding sound and allowed Niall's slight tug to pull him into their hug. Suddenly they were hugging a naked nymph and Liam wasn't sure which of the feelings he was having were appropriate in the situation.

When the long, strangely comforting hug finally broke, Niall was flushed and smiling widely. Harry stared at him for a long moment, then raised his hand and touched Niall's cheek with his finger.

Liam had never been a very secure person, he knew it wasn't an attractive trait but instead of mocking him for it, Niall helped him work around it, talk it through and try to imagine good things happening instead of just bad. It wasn't that hard when he had Niall's example of everlasting optimism and "let's try again" attitude in front of him all the time. The insecurities made his ‘wolf dangerously possessive, but Niall's presence calmed him down even under the worst circumstances.

That was why he could just remind himself that Niall wouldn't stay with Harry and send Liam away because Niall loved him.

And because they were all still touching, Liam's hand was pressed against Harry's hip and his other arm was wrapped around Niall's waist, so instead of being excluded, he felt like a part of their touch. He wasn't sure why, but that made it alright.

Harry shook his head and smiled sheepishly when he realized what he did but Niall didn't let it get awkward, he just threw his arms over both Liam and Harry's shoulders and looked at the clearing before them. "It's fucking beautiful, thank you for showing us."

Harry, it seemed, didn't do humble naturally. Their praise made him proud and he tried for a moment to be shy about it but then gave up and just laughed, "I know, I love it, I'm happy you do too."

They stayed there for a while, resting and talking. They did the whole _running through the butterflies to see what happens_ thing and what happened was that they each almost swallowed a butterfly and definitely stepped on some, so the experience was underwhelming and Liam didn't really want to think about it.

Harry told them the castle was their next stop, they could spend the night there and go down to the river the next morning. Niall looked excited about that, he always loved creepy stories and was hoping for plenty in an abandoned castle. Liam, however, usually featured as the bad guy in those stories, and a happy end included killing him, so he never really got into them. And an abandoned castle would probably smell like dead people and strangers. He was curious, but not so excited he was hopping in place with it, like some leprechauns.

**

** Harry **

Harry liked the castle. He didn't spend a lot of time in it, because it was all stone and rotten wood and nothing there spoke to him, but every time he got bored he would find himself walking around the castle, trying to figure out what kind of life someone other than humans would have in it. If a creature could move rocks, for instance, it could probably do a lot with the place. And if it loved darkness and cold, it was perfect. A troll would be so happy to live in it. Harry wasn't about to let a troll move into his forest, but in theory, it was a good place for a smaller troll to live in.

He stopped when they reached the castle and let Liam and Niall enjoy the view. He had let some moss and flowers grow up the sides of the walls, but not too high, just enough to give it some colour. The rest of it was plain stones and decorative iron.

Niall walked straight through the garden gate excitedly, looking around and occasionally actually clapping his hands. But Liam was still standing next to Harry, worried and careful. He followed when Harry decided to go after Niall so maybe he, like Harry, wasn't too keen on losing touch with nature. "It's not so bad," Harry said, "the place has been abandoned for a long time and nature is starting to creep back in." Liam nodded and relaxed a bit.

Harry took them through some of his favorite parts of the place, but he also let Niall take him to several rooms he hadn't explored before, because Niall was curious and fearless. Harry and Liam didn't really like the dark, cold hallways that didn't allow sunshine in, and Harry himself had never been down the stairs to the dark part. Niall dragged them there though and conjured a light for them to see and to keep them warm.

The downstairs was terrifying even with the light on but it made Niall smile his different smiles that Harry couldn't understand yet, he just knew some were good and others were bad, because Liam would reach out and hold Niall's hand when he felt the other boy needed him. Mostly, Liam and Harry exchanged amused glances and followed.

The sun was starting to set when they finally stepped outside again and Harry showed them a beautiful clearing behind the castle where he sometimes spent the night. They made a fire and found food and water and sat around eating and talking just like they had in the morning.

When they were done eating Niall made sure the fire would keep going and they huddled together around it. Niall and Liam wrapped around each other, Harry with that little bit of distance that made sure he wasn't touching anyone.

He didn't stare at them directly, at least he tried not to, but they all spent enough time together for him to wonder why they kept restricting themselves the way they did.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, it's just a bit strange to me, but, why do you cover yourselves?"

After a long moment of silence where Liam and Niall looked at and over each other, Liam finally asked, "You mean the clothes?"

"Yeah. Isn't that what humans do?"

Niall shrugged. "Well we grew up with them so it's just a habit I guess."

It took Harry a breath to parse his words but when he did he felt a wave of nausea followed by numbness spread through his entire body. He wanted to ask how and why, how they survived, was it horrible, how they escaped, but he couldn't get the words out. He got up, ignored Liam and Niall's scared questions and made his way towards the forest, pressing his hands and face to a tree to feel what felt like pure love flow into him. He pushed his own love back, through his entire body, making the grass and flowers around him grow wild. He heard a gasp which told him at least one of the other boys was behind him. They were safe. And so was he, his forest would protect them.

"I'm sorry," he said and turned around to look at the boys behind him. "I'm sorry, I just hate them so much. How did you escape? Did they… do they still have your families?"

Niall and Liam looked at each other again, he couldn't see their faces with the fire directly behind them, so he didn't know what they were communicating, but it took a long time and he was sure Liam shook his head a few times.

Niall was the one to finally speak though. "We didn't run away."

Liam huffed and crossed his arms, reminding Harry of the sulky ‘wolf he first met.

"Okay, we ended up running away. But we weren't prisoners to humans. And I think that's what you're asking?"

Harry nodded.

"We just lived around them, in the same town. Same place," he added when Harry frowned.

"You… lived with them?" He couldn't understand. "But they are monsters," he whispered, like just saying it might bring one over.

Niall shook his head. "They're not, not all of them, and in the end it wasn't even them who..." He stopped when Liam's hand hit him in the stomach, pretty hard, so he coughed and bent over a little. "Right, they're not all monsters."

Harry let them keep their secrets and just nodded, not because he believed them but because he understood how someone who grew up around humans could think that. He met a lot of creatures during his travels who considered humans more stupid than dangerous. They clearly had ways of bending reality.

Liam took a step towards him and broke his train of thought. He was still leaning against the tree, drawing some strength from it, and when Liam reached out and touched his shoulder he could feel the same energy flow into the werewolf.

Liam let out a surprised "Oh!" and stepped even closer. "That's amazing," he whispered. Harry smiled at him but from this close he could see Liam's face was serious and a little bit sad. "Harry, your family?"

He knew what the question was and all he could do was nod. He never managed to tell anyone what really happened, the words just wouldn't come out, but Liam and Niall figured it out anyway and didn't ask for more. They crowded him closer to the tree and wrapped their arms around him. It wasn't until he felt his forest vibrate through all of them together that he realized Niall made their clothes disappear, everywhere they touched him was just skin. He didn't cry, because he cried himself out a long time ago, but he was pathetically grateful anyway and held them as tight as they would let him, which was plenty.

-

The grass was whispering. No, Harry corrected himself, the grass was gossiping.

After the hug they had all moved back to the fire, but didn't really separate, just huddled close until they fell asleep, warm and together. That was how Harry woke up surrounded by two naked creatures and a field far too excited about him making friends who weren't plants.

The sun was out and not a breeze of wind around, yet when Harry opened his eyes he saw all the grass around turned towards them, the closest ones leaning against Harry's face, of course. He sighed and they must have realized he was awake because they all suddenly repositioned themselves to languish in the morning sun. Harry dug his fingers in the ground and sent a quick "thank you but please stop" just before Liam started moving behind him.

Goosebumps spread from Harry's neck down his back when Liam hugged him closer and nuzzled behind his ear with a grumbled "Good morning". Harry choked on air but before he could read his own reaction Liam went stiff and pushed himself away in a move worthy of werewolves everywhere. Harry hadn't turned in time to see but he was pretty sure it included a backflip.

"What?" he heard Niall say from the other side of him and they both turned to look at Liam, who was now standing a few steps away, staring down at them.

He was hard, Harry noticed. By Niall's soft interested sound he probably noticed it too. Liam looked down, twitched as if to cover himself but changed his mind and stood tall instead, crossing his impressive arms over his chest.

"It's _morning!_ " he said proudly and walked away; Harry wasn't sure where to, but in the direction of the castle.

He turned around to look at Niall and gouge how normal this all was but he got as far as seeing Niall's red face and puffed cheeks before they both burst out laughing.

They separated with some awkwardness, which Harry was confused about until Niall sat with his legs together and said, "Look, Liam is the real forest beast here, I really need to cover my bits if you don't mind."

"No, that's okay, I don't mind, really."

Niall nodded and made himself some bottoms, but he spread his arms out and flopped on his back with a happy sigh. "I'm okay without a shirt though."

He looked at the clear sky for a while and Harry looked at him. His skin was pale but with red patches and he had hair on his chest and below his belly that wasn't really dark either. Harry wondered if his teeth would leave lasting marks on Niall's skin. He tried finding the perfect spot for it. Not his neck or chest, but maybe his belly, because it would be easy to bite into and a long stretch of pale. However, it was the skin just above the curve of Niall's hip, where it looked so soft it made him think of petals, that kept drawing his eyes. It would be hard to bite into, he would have to press his whole face there and he wasn't sure he could leave the mark just like he wanted to. But if he succeeded, that would definitely be the perfect place. He smiled, satisfied with the knowledge and looked up at Niall only to see him blushing red from his cheeks down to his chest.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Niall coughed and nodded, then got up and called for Liam loudly. Harry frowned, but Niall reached out and petted his hair in what seemed to be a calming gesture and it made him feel really good. He tilted his head for more and Niall laughed but kept on petting him, his hand in just the right position as Harry remained sitting on the ground. His short nails scratched lightly while his fingers played with the hair and it was such small, meaningless contact, yet Harry got a little dizzy with how good it felt. He leaned his forehead against Niall's thigh and sighed. Nymphs were _not_ solitary creatures.

It was hard to give it up when Liam came back and they had to start their walk back to the river and Harry's tree but Niall said he could get more when they were home; so Harry got up and pretended it was not a big deal even though the way Liam's fingers kept brushing against his suggested everyone knew better.

-

The problem, as Harry saw it, was that he got used to not having anyone to touch or touching him back. He was fine with it, because there was no other option. But now, when the _option_ presented itself, he could _not_ stop. He wanted to grab Liam's hand and cuddle Niall and have them both pet his hair and hug him and sleep next to him _constantly_. He tried holding himself back but his skin felt hungry and he didn't know how to deny himself something he wanted so badly, now that he'd had it.

He spent the day abandoning his duties to sit next to Liam or pretending to be tired so he could lie down with his head in Niall's lap and have his hair played with.

When the darkness fell and they went to sleep under their tree, Harry did the only thing he could think of and pushed his fingers into the ground, connecting to everything around him, including their tree, until he could feel them sleeping peacefully, almost next to him. It was wrong, he knew that, but he didn't know if he could fall asleep without it and he didn't really want to try.

That was how he felt the scream in his lungs a few hours later, even though the forest was silent around him. He stopped for a moment, thinking it was a nightmare but then he felt the pain, physical, in his heart and he felt _Liam's_ fear and _Niall's_ worry. He ran out of his tree before he could think about it and kneeled by their roots.

"Niall," he whispered, "are you okay, what's going on?"

"It's just a nightmare, don't worry about it." Niall's voice was shaking and Harry wrapped a hand around the root to find out if Liam was still in pain. It felt worse than before, it made _Harry_ want to scream. He let go of the tree with a gasp.

"He's in pain."

"I know," Niall said, his voice still shaken but now mostly sad. "We can't help him."

Harry didn't say anything else, trusting Niall with Liam, but he couldn't just get up and go back to sleep either. He stayed where he was, curled into a ball on the ground by the root, the forest dark and worried around him.

"Harry?" Niall called a while later.

"Yeah?"

"You want to come in?"

Harry had only one answer and he couldn't even say it, he just crawled under the root and over them both to get behind Liam. This close he could hear Liam's quiet whines, like a wolf pup crying, and he didn't ask if it was okay to wrap his arms around him, press a hand over Liam's heart, where he knew the pain was, he just did it. Niall was wrapped around Liam from the front and Harry thought, despite what Niall said, maybe the two of them together could take Liam's pain away, but nothing helped. The were' continued shaking and crying between them for hours, until the sun came up. Then he suddenly stopped and went completely, terrifyingly limp.

"It's okay, it stopped, he just needs to rest now," Niall said before Harry lost himself to panic.

"What was that?" he asked.

Niall looked at him for the first time since he crawled in, over Liam's too pale shoulder, and Harry saw him open his mouth to speak but something changed his mind and he ended up just shaking his head. "Later, I promise. We'll both… we need to talk first, and then…" He didn't finish the sentence but his voice was tired and sad and all Harry could do was reach out and hug him closer to himself and Liam and agree, "Later."

He was still the first one to get up, his forest calling for him, while Liam and Niall made up for the lost night of sleep. His fingers trembled as he touched the poppies and their petals curled around them to comfort him.

Harry didn't mind that they were lying to him. After the first day, they looked so calm and happy to be in Harry's forest that he knew wherever they came from couldn't have been "home."

And knowing that they lived with humans, well… no matter what they said that couldn't have been easy.

He lost track of time, working with his plants and letting his overactive imagination take him places filled with Liam's monsters so he could defeat them all. In his own mind he was a dragon, instead of a nymph, there was fire on his breath and blades on his fingers that made his enemies beg for mercy. The only problem was, he usually ended up talking them into peace so his breath and blades didn't have much practical use, but they always got the conversation going.

The emotions whirling inside him helped grow his trees big and strong, so even if he spent most of the day being angry with imaginary monsters, when he was done, he turned to look at his work and could give himself a pleased nod. He did well.

The trees told him when Niall and Liam finally got up, but he hadn't hurried back, so by the time he came closer they were clearly not expecting him and he heard, just before the wind brought his scent to Liam's sensitive nose, Niall say, "He knows we lied to him anyway." Liam made him stop talking after that and they both turned to Harry, looking worried. Niall jumped a bit on the balls of his feet, like he had that first day, but he didn't say anything.

"I do know you're lying to me. But it's okay," Harry said, because it was. "You don't really know me and you don't owe me the truth." He wasn't just saying that; he knew how painful secrets could be, they weren't for everyone. And as much as Harry wanted to be someone to them, they had only known each other for a short while, not enough to share painful secrets.

Niall jumped a bit and wrapped his arms around Harry as soon as he was close enough.

"We told people before," Niall said, loud in his ear, not letting him go, "and they always gave us up. We're scared. It's not you, it's us."

Liam laughed a bit and Harry wasn't sure what the joke was but it seemed kind so he smiled back at him over Niall's shoulder.

Liam didn't hug him, but he stood close enough to the two of them that Harry could feel him.

They didn't say anything more and Harry thought that was it, until after dinner - which consisted of Liam's hare on fire and mushrooms for Niall; Harry was very confused with their eating habits - when Liam cleaned his fingers on grass, cleared his throat and poked Niall in the ankle to get him talking.

"So," Niall sighed, "we told you yesterday that we grew up around people. We're from a small town, near the forest, of course, but still in a town. In the old days, my grandma said, werewolves and leprechauns didn't cross paths much, but it's very hard to stay completely isolated today. Liam and I, we went to the same school."

Harry frowned and Liam was the one to catch it and understand. "It's where you go to try and learn things and not be in your parents' hair for a few hours every day."

"Right," Harry pretended that was clear.

"We tried to avoid each other for a long time," Niall continued, "because that's what we'd been taught, but then we met and started talking and became friends and then more." He pushed it all out in one long breath so he paused after he said it and Liam knocked their knees together. "We hid it from our families for a while but eventually decided telling them would be the best, because, they had to understand."

Niall's face fell and Liam pressed closer against him and even though their heads were down Harry thought they looked like they were fighting off the world. He didn't want them to do it alone anymore.

"My family locked me up," Liam said. "Niall's was planning to take him out of school but mine wanted to… well, I don't really know." But he looked away from Niall as he said that and Harry thought he could hear the lie there.

"They weren't happy," Niall said, "and they didn't understand."

"We ran away," Liam continued, "because we were stupid and still thought if they could just see that we needed each other, they would let us be. But the first time they caught us, it was clear they wouldn't."

Liam's voice wobbled and Niall looked at him, worried, but Liam distracted him with a kiss, and maybe Harry shouldn't have realized that that's what Liam was doing but it was so obvious to him.

"We ran away again, and we've been running ever since. Niall has magic, so we're good for food and clothes and we're never cold or sick for a long time, but we're incredibly tired."

Niall nodded. "Our families aren't very powerful, like some, but they are very big, know a lot of creatures in cities and forests all over. They have humans, police, looking for us, so hiding in the forest seemed easier, but forests are full of creatures waiting to give us up to win favours with our families. Also I'm a leprechaun so everyone thinks I have a pot of gold up my arse or something." Niall rolled his eyes and tried to smile but Harry didn't really think he managed.

There were so many missing pieces in their quick story, like how exactly they escaped and who betrayed them and how many creatures they trusted before they gave up, but Harry believed everything they said, except for the few lies he was sure Liam was telling Niall, not him. But he couldn't help but wonder what it was like, to have a family so big waiting for you, and choosing to walk away from them, for whatever reason. He would give _anything_ to have his family back, he thought.

As if he read his thoughts, Liam suddenly said, "I know it sounds childish, running away from home because you're in love, but it's not really about that. I mean, we do love each other," he turned to Niall a bit as if asking for confirmation and got a peck on the cheek for a reply, "but it was more like… there was no reason for why Niall was supposed to be bad for me or I was bad for him except that they said it was so. And we had to obey. And if you let them control you like that once, just, just take something that big from you, for no reason…" He choked a bit and Niall hugged him across his shoulders and finished the sentence for him, "Then who knows what they'll take from you next."

Harry didn't have a way to understand this. He could see both Niall and Liam were hurt, but the idea of a family that hurt its own members, of someone having to escape their own family, he couldn't wrap his mind around it. He would keep trying, though, because he wanted to understand these boys.

"So were you having a nightmare about that, last night?" Harry didn't think it was a nightmare but maybe it was different for werewolves.

Liam looked down at his own feet and shook his head. "My family is my pack. We are connected, like, we can feel each other. Sometimes," he bit his lip but Niall didn't finish for him this time, they just waited in silence while Liam found the words. "Sometimes they hurt me, through that connection, to punish me for leaving."

Harry didn't know what to do with that. Who would do something like that? Harry's family loved each other, they were everything to each other and would _never_ hurt their own for any reason. He was crawling towards Liam's shaky frame before he knew what he was doing. He wrapped his arms around Liam's shoulders, tangling them with Niall's and hugged him hard until Liam hugged back with the same strength.

When Liam relaxed his hold a bit Harry took it as his cue to move away. He couldn't go far because he was pretty much sitting on Liam but he moved far enough to see his face. There was some wetness on his cheeks and Harry wiped it with his thumbs slowly, while Liam smiled up at him.

**

**Niall**

So the whole not telling Harry the truth thing didn't go as planned, Niall thought. To be fair, things hadn't been going as planned in years, but for once it didn't feel like the end of the world.

Harry knew and instead of calculating and interested it made him sad and angry. It would be easy enough to read that on his face or in the grip he held on Liam, but they didn't need that. Harry's magic, ancient and powerful, pulsed around them seemingly out of control. Niall could feel it on his skin and in his bones. It called to the weak leprechaun power inside him. Niall could do _tricks_. Just enough to keep them fed and clothed. He couldn't even do enough to keep himself and Liam safe or hidden. But Harry's magic felt like it could destroy or build cities.

Seeing Liam's tears on Harry's fingers with all that power going through him, had Niall's mind filling with ideas, thoughts of what he could have done if only he had that much strength. Destroying any file that the police had on them. Making their families forget them. Moving them so far away no one would ever think to look for them there. Building an invisible house. Forcing their families into the same room, immobile and silent as Liam and Niall explained everything until they all ended up understanding them. He could have made a difference.

But he couldn't, was the thing. He never cared enough about his powers before they ran away, never really sure what he would need them for except chores and quick fixes, and he had only perfected some of those. But changing fates, that was not in him. He had accepted it, even if he hated it. And now suddenly he found himself wishing for more.

He leaned on Liam's shoulder, let himself become a part of the naked comfort, didn't even get upset about how much he liked seeing Harry's big hands on Liam. He was getting used to the nudity.

-

Niall thought the rest of the evening would be awkward or miserable, but instead their conversation seemed to open the flood gates. They didn't talk about their families any more, but Harry had a million questions about their lives with humans and after a while he even stopped being careful with them.

He knew that Harry's whole family disappearing had something to do with people, and he could just imagine what. Most humans didn't know about the magic that existed around them for good reason, since every time they found out, horrible things happened.

As he listened to Harry's questions he couldn't help but wonder where Harry's broken knowledge came from. Like the "castle" he took them to, which wasn't actually a castle. A really big, posh old house, yes, but not a castle like the ones that were built on cliffs and needed armies to defend them. But Harry used that word like he was completely certain he knew what it was. But then "clothes" were a mystery.

He and Liam had a million questions of their own, but they didn't feel like this was the night to ask them, although, there might never be a good time to risk breaking Harry open like that.

-

That night was quieter than others. Maybe it just seemed that way to Niall because Liam and he were trying and failing to be quiet themselves, hidden under their tree.

Being on the run wasn't as sexy as movies made it seem. Often they were too scared or too tired to do more than curl up together and kiss until they fell asleep. And even that was more reassurance than desire. But it had been an emotional few days, they were in the safety of Harry's forest and Liam had been naked all day. Niall wanted.

And apparently Liam did too because when they kissed there was a hunger there that had been missing for weeks.

They were both naked and sweaty, Liam hard under him, as they rutted against each other, trying not to moan or grunt or in Niall's case whine desperately. But sounds kept breaking out and he could just imagine what they sounded like to Harry, who somehow heard Liam's almost silent cries last night.

"Liam, Liam," he whispered, "I think Harry can hear us we should..." but he didn't finish because Liam grabbed his hips, arched against Niall's stomach almost violently and came with a groan too loud for anyone to miss.

"Guess I'm not the only one who thinks he would be amazing between us," Niall laughed.

Liam froze and tried multitasking, which was never his greatest skill, by wanking Niall off and quickly whispering, "I'm sorry, you know I love you I don't want him like that, he could never replace you." To Niall's eternal shame he came somewhere between those apologies, giggling and trying to get Liam to stop talking.

"Worst sex talk _ever_ , we're gonna have to work on that."

The silence he got in reply made him wish for more light because he just knew Liam was blushing and he loved that look on him.

"It's not like that," Liam said eventually.

"It's a little bit like that," Niall corrected. "He's hot, sweet and a little bit broken, it's our thing now."

Liam huffed but curled up next to him without disagreeing. They were falling asleep when Liam froze, suddenly awake and barely breathing. For a second Niall worried it was the bond again but then he felt it too, Harry's magic, coming over them like a blanket. He wasn't sure what his reaction was supposed to be, but he was too tired to fight the soft happy feeling it gave him. When he relaxed, Liam followed and they fell asleep feeling protected.

-

Niall woke up thinking "It's time." It was an instinct at this point; they had agreed to stay so many days and now was the time to go.

Considering Liam was pretending to still be asleep, he probably felt it too. Their confession seemed more dangerous in the daylight, Harry and his magic were away doing chores, and they had a plan, or a schedule, something anyway, that required them to keep moving.

Except, now, maybe…

He poked Liam in the belly. He wouldn't be making this decision alone.

"We were gonna move on today," he said even though Liam's eyes were still shut tight.

"I know," Liam mumbled.

Niall sighed, they had to talk about it. "Do you still want to?"

At that point he honestly expected a "Do you?" Instead, Liam finally opened his eyes.

"I don't want to, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't. But I think he wants us to stay."

And Niall had to agree that was important. Harry, somehow, became important.

-

They didn't leave that day. Instead, they spent it with Harry, following him around, teasing, playing and joking. Niall remembered why he loved Liam so much - not that he didn't usually but sometimes the running became its own purpose, sometimes it was hard to remember they wanted to be together, not just needed each other to survive - seeing him amazed at Harry's magic, talking to the flowers and touching their petals like he wasn't one of the most dangerous predators in the forest.

But spending days watching Harry wield his magic as easily as breathing got Niall thinking about his own, and for the first time instead of feeling bad about it, he thought maybe there was a way to make himself stronger. Maybe Harry could help him.

He mentioned it to Liam that night.

"I have no idea how much power leprechauns can have but, why not. And I think Harry would love that."

"I think I should have more power than I do." He was almost sure.

Liam hugged him harder. "You take good care of us." He sounded certain, but...

"I can do better." It bothered him now, that he'd never before thought about it like that, with faith in himself. That it was only ever a regret, never an opportunity.

But if anything, it made him all the more determined. And as Harry's blanket warm hug covered them he knew there was more in him than some fast tricks and easy magic.

-

Liam hadn't been completely right. Harry was happy to help, but he was horrified that someone would be stuck using only a small amount of their power. He was okay thinking Niall just had low power but the idea that he had magic that he let lay unused for years had him making the sad, disappointed face that Niall never wanted to see again.

"I didn't even know it was an option, don't look at me like that."

Harry frowned for a bit but he wasn't built for long disapproval.

"Alright, show me what you can do," he said eventually and pointed at the clearing in front of them.

Niall made a few clothes that he would need anyway, made a rock break - a small rock because trying to break the big one failed - and he made himself jump space a few times, disappearing and appearing a few meters away. It didn't tire him but he could feel it in his arms, a heaviness that shouldn't be there.

"Where do you draw your power from?"

That was something his family used to ask when he practiced with them and he could never really answer them. It was everywhere and nowhere at once, he felt.

But when he said that to Harry he got a headshake in reply. He got caught up watching Harry's hair flail so he almost missed what Harry said after a short pause. Almost.

"It's in your belly button."

"My what." Niall could feel his smile slipping. If Harry was choosing now to start messing with him...

"In your..."

"I really don't think that's where it is."

Harry gave him the saddest of eyes again but Niall was starting to get angry. His family used to mention his head, his heart, his feet, sometimes his gut, sure, and once, memorably, his balls, but belly button was no one's source of power.  

"Do you mean my stomach?" Harry's words weren't always completely correct, maybe...

"No," Harry said with a voice hard as a rock. "Here." And then he pushed the tip of his index finger into Niall's belly button, his face serious and distressed.

It was possibly the most surreal moment of his life, and that was of course when Liam came back from his "hunting practice" which Niall knew was code for literally chasing squirrels, looked at them for a second and broke down laughing so hard he half shifted.

Harry looked confused but happy that Liam was happy and Niall felt his anger disappear. And, apparently, his bellybutton was the source of his power. Why not?

"So how do you draw power from a bellybutton?" Niall asked, ignoring Harry's finger.

"You relax and pull," Harry said like it was the most natural answer. "Like peeing, but with more... pulling."

"Peeing from your belly button," Niall summed up his lesson so far and heard Liam crack up in the distance again. He was sticking close to their clearing but he wasn't done playing wolf yet.

Harry smiled like he was proud that Niall got it right and Niall gave up and decided to just go with it.

"What should I do with it?"

"You should make me a flower crown," Harry said, and Niall was done questioning the method.

As it turned out, other than being ridiculous, flower crowns were also ridiculously hard to make. Because Harry didn't mean just "pick some flowers and tangle them together", he made Niall create each individual petal on each little flower and then float them together with methods Niall hasn't used since he broke all the plates trying to dry the dishes and watch TV at the same time.

Knowing where he pulled the power from was just a starting point. Controlling the strength of it was tricky, directing it at the right spot and using conscious thought instead of instinct while keeping up a continuous stream of even power was almost impossible. Harry could help a bit, give directions and calm down his frustration, but in the end he couldn't do it for him.

By the time the crown looked like more than a piece of crumpled paper, Niall was lying on the ground gasping and he was pretty sure no one in the history of the universe had ever been more physically aware of their belly button.

Harry picked up his crown, examined it critically and placed it on his head.

Liam was back, in his 'wolf form, and he curled up next to Niall on the ground. Niall petted him tiredly and looked up at Harry, still waiting for a verdict.

"That was really good," he said in an earnest voice Niall had never heard before, which meant Harry was, for the first time since they met, lying. He started laughing but the pain in his stomach cut him off so he turned to his side and hugged Liam closer.

"Do you think I'll be able to do it without wanting to die, eventually?"

"Yes. This spell requires growing magic and prolonged concentration. It's incredibly hard."

Niall looked at him, incredulous. "And that's what you start me with!?"

"You wanted to know how much power was in you. How do you find that out by keeping things easy? Now you know, you have a lot of power."

Harry said it so matter-of-factly Niall wasn't sure what to think of it. The pain he was in for something so silly didn't make him proud of his accomplishment.

But Harry got very serious when he said that out loud. He joined them on the ground and took off his flower crown, showed it to Niall. "You made real petals. Real flowers. Out of pure energy. Dozens of them. You didn't stop even when it started to really hurt and you got to the bottom of the power you normally use. Of course it hurts. But it's amazing too."

And yeah, when he put it like that, it did seem amazing. Niall closed his eyes and absolutely did not pass out where he lay next to his 'wolf.

-

Two days later it stopped hurting. It wasn't anywhere near Harry's level of natural yet or even as easily instinctual as making the things he already knew. It was a constant conscious effort, but it was starting to feel like a part of him instead of a foreign object lodged into his belly.

He was just working on cracking a large boulder Harry had brought him for just that purpose when Harry and Liam suddenly stopped. Not just encouraging him but moving and breathing for a long second. Then they took off towards the river, Harry at what must have been nymph speed because it was almost as fast as Liam's 'wolf run. Niall simply thought "this is bad" before he went after them, much slower on the tricky forest ground.


	2. Chapter 2

** Liam **

First Liam reacted on pure instinct. Something was wrong and Harry was moving towards the river so he went too. But as they got closer he could smell it, unknown, hurt, alive.

Harry's scent changed as they reached the river and Liam saw him jump in, but then he seemed to just become water. The strange scent was still there but when he looked at the river, he just saw the water glistening under the sun. He stopped at the river bank, searching. He focused on a spot a bit higher up the river until he recognized it as a body, floating slowly towards them.

Niall broke out of the forest just as Harry appeared next to the body, started dragging it closer to them. Whoever it was, they were still alive, though barely.

He could feel the scared hum coming from Niall's body and he felt himself react to it. It could be a trap, they could have been found. He and Niall stepped back and let Harry drag the body out. Harry didn't know CPR but his magic was even better. Liam heard the man's breathing even out and his heartbeat speed up as soon as Harry placed his hands over the man's heart and seemingly pulled the water out.

Niall gasped next to him. "Liam. His feet are broken!"

He didn't smell broken though so Liam looked at where Niall was pointing with a trembling finger and, yes, there was something wrong with his feet, but they weren't broken. They were just... the wrong way around.

He licked Niall's finger and shook his head, trying to explain there was no pain. He wasn't sure Niall understood but switching to were' so close to unfamiliar danger was not an option.

Harry sat back on his haunches and took his hands off the man. Liam tracked the waking up process carefully. He woke up slowly until he realized something was wrong, then he coughed, opened his eyes and sat up quickly, looking at them, at Liam, with terrified eyes. His face looked younger than Liam expected, which didn't always mean anything with supernatural creatures.

"Louis?" he called out, quiet and trembling.

"I don't know who that is," Harry said, making the other boy flinch, "but I'm Harry and I promise that's the sweetest werewolf you'll ever meet."

Liam would have been offended if not for the boy's vary look. Instead, he put his ears down and crouched, making himself look non-threatening, which was the exact opposite of what he wanted, _Harry_.

"Where am I?" the boy asked, still sitting, with his feet turned and his eyes swiftly glancing from one to the other, waiting for the wrong move to do... what, Liam wondered.

"The river brought you down the stream, this is my forest," Harry motioned and paused when he too probably noticed the boy's distress picking up.

"Are you," the boy stuttered, "are you the nymph?"

"Yes?"

And the fear was back. He started apologizing with words and a tone that made Liam question the blundering way he and Niall had entered Harry's forest and life. Niall's awkward little dance told him he was thinking the same. Harry, on the other hand, just smiled and waved the apology away.

"It's okay, you were unconscious," he comforted the boy, but not really Liam.

Niall turned to Liam and mouthed "unconscious" like he had no idea where Harry would learn that word and Liam mentally shrugged. Harry was ancient, who knew how he knew anything.

"I healed you the best I could, but you should still rest." Harry bit his lip and looked at them. Liam knew he wanted to bring the boy to their clearing. Niall moved to stand next to Harry, done hiding behind Liam.

"Hi, my name is Niall, I'm a leprechaun. We can take you someplace more comfortable… if you like small spaces and trees."

"I'm Zayn. I… I'm okay with trees but I'm not really into small spaces? But I can rest anywhere, don't worry."

Liam remembered a time when Niall handled small spaces badly, shaking and sweating even as snow covered everything around the hole they were hiding in. He'd had to get used to them too quickly. Liam got lost in the memory and it took him a while to notice Zayn hadn't said what he was.

He followed them back to their clearing and watched Zayn settle in. He wasn't changing to were' anytime soon, but he was starting to feel comfortable around the boy, unable to sense any lies or malice, so far. And, even in his ‘wolf form, Liam couldn't stop glancing at the boy's eyes. They just seemed to sparkle, and not in a supernatural way.

Zayn wasn't talking much, he lay down near Harry's tree with his head in some moss and kept a lazy eye on all of them. Liam understood. He settled down half way between Harry and Niall, keeping his own watch over everyone too. Even after such a short time with Harry, the distrust everyone was feeling right now was strange and palpable to Liam. It made him want to whine and hide with Niall but he had a job to do now. He closed his eyes and perked his ears, ready.

Harry was asking Zayn if he was hungry, offering Liam's help in getting him some food because apparently Harry knew what Zayn's eating habits were. Zayn declined and Liam felt a little bad because he could probably hear Zayn's stomach even with were' hearing, and the only reason he said no was because he was afraid of the werewolf.

He sighed and promised himself that if Harry was wrong, he would eat the boy whole. He listened around for a bit and jumped up without warning anyone when he heard it. In a few minutes, he came back with a hare and approached Zayn slowly to offer it to him. He could hear Harry gagging behind them and only then realized it was a bit of a bloody offering, but Zayn seemed to be grateful. He took the hare in one hand and reached out the other, carefully, letting Liam sniff his fingers and allow Zayn to scratch his head.

The second Zayn's fingers scratched behind his ear, Liam was sold. Kid knew how to pet a wolf. There was a tingly, warm sensation going down his whole body from where Zayn was touching him and he moved closer trying to get him to do more. He didn't realize just how much closer he had gotten until Niall teased, from the other side of the camp, loudly, "you're not a lap dog, you know?"

And, okay, he was sort of sprawled across Zayn's legs, but Niall didn't get to judge him because he hadn't been petted by Zayn yet.

Being that close, he couldn't resist the desire to take a closer look at Zayn's feet. He sniffed the ankle, where the change seemed to start, and Zayn quickly crossed his legs to hide his feet self-consciously. Liam whined and licked his knee, trying to say it was okay, Liam didn't care as long as it didn't hurt him. Maybe Zayn understood because he petted Liam's back again.

The hare was roasted - no raw meat for Zayn - and eaten and they were all starting to go a little bit afternoon-lazy when Liam felt a pull on his instincts and he looked up just as a shadow started moving over them.

He rose to his feet, fighting stance, teeth bare and a low, barely controlled rumble coming from his throat.

It was a dragon. A gigantic, flying, probably fire-breathing dragon flying over them, not caring about satellites or cameras or any other device that could catch him and destroy all their lives forever. His colour was a forest green, but it didn't make him invisible.

From the corner of his eye he saw Zayn get up and start waving at the dragon, shouting, "Louis! Louis!" Niall stood a step behind Liam, but he too looked ready for a fight, and Harry was looking up with a little smile on his face that made Liam doubt everything he thought he knew about the nymph. Dragons were dangerous. They were easily bought with trinkets. They could set everything on fire in a second and would _not_ care.

This particular dragon zeroed in on them and started falling towards their clearing, even though he was almost bigger than the whole area. But when he came close enough to crash into the ground and smash them all, he just… turned into another boy and fell between them like a sack of potatoes.

He ignored everyone, got up and ran towards Zayn who already had his arms open.

"Are you alright?" he asked Zayn in a trembling voice. Zayn hugged him hard and whispered reassurances until the dragon stopped shaking.

He moved away from Zayn eventually and looked at the rest of them. Liam and Niall's defensive postures only made him smirk, but when he noticed Harry his entire focus shifted.

He was at Harry's side in the blink of an eye. Liam noticed with some glee that he was almost a head shorter than Harry. That seemed to be fine with them both though, because the next thing he did was push his face into Harry's collarbone and take a deep breath. He released a soft "oh," and Harry's hand went into his hair, half petting him half keeping him there so he could… smell his hair. Liam, Zayn and Niall looked at each other, trying to confirm that this was really happening and that no one knew _what_ was actually happening.

It lasted longer than anyone, other than presumably Harry and Louis, was comfortable with. Liam eventually sat down. They clearly knew each other so maybe there was no real danger.

Except then the dragon pulled back a bit and smiled wickedly, his hand on Harry's hip and said, "I'm Louis," and Harry smiled and said, "I'm Harry," and Liam gave up on trying to understand anything.

Louis leaned back in again, rubbed his nose against Harry's throat for a moment and mumbled, "You smell really good. Like a river."

"Mmm," Harry agreed, "you smell like smoke."

Liam knew that they both did, he just wasn't sure what the big deal was. He felt a hand on his head and looked up to see it was Zayn petting him, then another hand joined and he knew it was Niall. So they all just stood there, petting Liam and watching the dragon and the nymph smell each other.

-

There was absolutely no way Liam was switching to his weaker form while a dragon was around, touching everyone he loved and smirking at him like he was somehow better than Liam just because he could breathe fire.

Being around Louis didn't make Zayn chatter unstoppably, but he did explain how he found himself in a river. Apparently it was a prank on the pixies gone wrong. Liam frowned.

Liam's main problem with pixies was that they had been betrayed by them before. And not even in malice, they just thought it would be funny to take Niall and Liam from the deep forest they finally made it to, and drop them all the way back to the start of their path, almost in their town. They barely escaped again.

Pixies weren't the nicest of creatures. They weren't evil, but their sense of humour could get a lesser creature killed. And apparently Louis was the type of dragon who pranked pixies and didn't mind hurting those he loved to make it happen.

He was focusing on the danger so much that he forgot to notice Niall's own distress until he felt a shaky hand in his hair. They had to leave. And not up the stream which had been their plan so many days ago, but across the river and away from Louis' territory and the pixies.

Harry and Louis were sitting too close, occasionally leaning to smell each other but mostly just holding hands, like long time lovers. Zayn's head was in Louis' lap and Louis was showing his affection by occasionally pinching the other boy until Zayn would grab his hand and hold it pressed against his ribs for a few minutes, then it would start again.

Louis was explaining his long time war with pixies, making Harry laugh constantly and aside from the very real danger he presented, Liam also felt jealousy burning him from the inside. When Niall started laughing at one stupid story too, Liam just got up and walked away. He could still hear them, he could jump in if anything happened, but he refused to watch everyone, even Niall, giggle with this gigantic dragon who could destroy Liam and Niall's life in a second.

"Liam," he heard Niall whisper behind him, "turn back please."

They were alone, close enough that Liam could hear Louis in his ‘wolf form but probably not as a were'. He sighed and changed anyway, because Niall asked.

"We have to go," was the first thing he said.

Niall just nodded, his face the kind of sad that made Liam regret all of their decisions so far.

"I know we can't trust him, he's just," Niall paused, looking for the word, "funny. And nice, I think."

"He let his friend drown to trick some pixies, Niall, how is he nice?" Liam barely remembered to whisper that question because it made him so angry.

"It was an accident, a really stupid one, but still an accident. Come on, you know he's not evil."

Liam did know, but it didn't matter. "He's still gonna turn on us if we let him."

Niall nodded again and Liam hated their whole life for a moment because they shouldn't have to fear anyone just because they pulled pranks. They should be pulling pranks, and making them safer, with Louis. But it couldn't be like that.

"Harry loves him," Niall said. And that, that was another problem. It was making Liam's chest clench, he didn't want to think about that, much less talk. He just shook his head and swallowed hard. Harry wouldn't betray them, that still mattered.

He gripped Niall's hand and pulled him closer, kissed him hard until they could both breathe again without crying. They had each other.

**

** Zayn **

Zayn woke up that morning with Louis sprawled over him in their huge cave, staring at him unnervingly. He pushed Louis away and tried to get back to sleep but then Louis bit his shoulder and said, "It's pixie day."

Zayn loved pixie day. They were annoying and amazing little bastards and successfully pranking them made them so angry the whole forest sounded like a million tiny bells blew up all night long after. They particularly "hated" him because he was too fast for them to catch, so they could only ever prank him back, but never catch him and do who knows what to him.

A few days ago Louis managed to get his hands on some fisheyes - flowers, he said, that only grew in Lima. Zayn didn't ask if Louis just flew to Lima or if he knew someone who happened to have some rare flowers lying around. He was generally better off not knowing.

It was simple. Pixies loved new flowers. They hated water. Get them to the flowers, pour water on them. It worked beautifully. Except, pixies _really_ hated water. It was one of the reasons they so rarely pranked them like that, because they would get vicious after. It was also why Louis had to stay far away and hide and Zayn had to be the one to pour water on them, he was the one they couldn't catch.

Their anger made them persistent though. They chased him for a long time, eventually splitting up and pushing him in a certain direction. He didn't realize which until it was too late, he had to jump down the waterfall into the river, or give himself up.

And while they were actually sort of their friends, angry pixies couldn't always see the line between a bit of fun retaliation and life threatening pixie magic.

So he jumped.

Reverse feet were great for running. Not so great for jumping. He fell flat and felt the pain and the pressure push the air out of his chest and he could not take another breath no matter how hard he tried. The river was fast in these parts, it was pulling him under and the panic made him weak and uncoordinated. He lost the fight.

-

The next time he woke up he was surrounded by strangers, in a part of the forest he'd never seen before. One of them was definitely a werewolf. The one who saved his life turned out to be the nymph everyone in his forest, even the pixies, had warned him against. The ancient nymph who lived alone and everyone was afraid of had a beautiful, wide smile and the gentlest hands. Zayn could trust no one for any information.

The leprechaun was the cutest thing he'd ever seen though. He was blonde and jumpy and constantly smiling. Zayn wanted to know what both of their hair would look like pressed together. He reminded him of Louis a little, only without the violent showings of love. He patted his werewolf gently and made sure Zayn was comfortable and talked softly around a smile. Zayn was pretty sure he had something going on with the werewolf though, which was both funny and curious.

The werewolf scared him, mostly, until he brought him the bloody hare and then melted all over him for some scratches behind the ear.

He had a good time with all of them. Getting to know new creatures wasn't always easy for him, but they didn't make a big deal of his feet, Harry even seemed to know what he was, and they all made him feel so comfortable, after the first few awkward moments, that it almost felt like being home. And having Louis there just completed it, despite, or especially with, his weird obsession with Harry.

Zayn thought he should be jealous, for suddenly having to share Louis, but he knew that Louis was a dragon who didn't collect things. Zayn realized a while ago that what Louis really wanted to collect was real love. That he only had Zayn so far was flattering but also a little sad. And Zayn looked at this little group and how gentle they had all been with him and thought, _maybe them_.

-

Something went wrong, while Louis was telling their story. And Zayn knew, from personal experience, that Harry's reaction to Louis wasn't the usual one. Liam's reaction was. He came off as cold and uncaring. And he certainly didn't bother to come off as the good guy in a story he presented as "I got Zayn to do something and he almost died doing it."

When Niall went after Liam, Zayn couldn't hear what was going on, but he knew Louis could - his hearing was amazing. He knew something was very wrong when Louis' hand clenched on Zayn's chest and he sat up straighter. Harry blushed a little but didn't speak, so he clearly knew Louis was listening in on the conversation behind the trees.

When Niall and Liam came back, Liam was in his were' form. He had shaggy hair and thick eyebrows that made Zayn smile. He was werewolf strong though, wide in the shoulders and with strong legs. Zayn loved Louis but he didn't mind looking at someone who could probably pin him down with one hand either.

He wanted to explain to Louis that he shouldn't make enemies with people Zayn decided should be their friends, but Louis was already pushing him off gently and standing up. He walked up to Liam and Niall – who didn't seem ready for confrontation – with clenched fists and already standing on his tiptoes, trying to seem taller. Zayn could hear him clearly in the silence around them.

"I would _never_... you don't know anything about me. Not a thing. So shut up." He walked away, but he wouldn't go far because Zayn was still sitting next to Harry and because Harry was still there.

Niall looked red around the cheeks but Liam didn't even flinch, he just looked… determined.

Zayn felt it all slipping from his fingers, or maybe Louis'. He wasn't sure what was going on, except that Liam and Niall didn't think highly of Louis, but he knew that if they didn't fix this now, it would fester until they all hated each other. He knew because it often went like that, with Louis.

He wanted them to know who Louis really was, what he meant to Zayn, that way they could maybe learn to look beyond the sharp smile. And honestly, if they couldn't, they weren't worth it.

"When I was three years old I was taken from my family by a Bhoot."

Everyone looked at him. He knew he would have to tell his story in order to tell Louis', but he didn't enjoy the attention.

"He and his son died in an accident. He couldn't let go, so he went looking for his son. I was close enough, I guess. He kept me, for three years, before he finally looked at me and saw I wasn't his son. I was alone, in the desert, dying, when a sphinx found me. I don't know what you know about sphinxes, but they are not famous for their mercy. It took me seven years to learn that I could outrun it. So I did. And I kept on running.

"When I found this forest I was savage, which is what everyone thinks of my kind anyway, by the way. Savage hunters. I was in Louis' land, killing his animals and scaring his pixies, so sure I could outrun anything that I didn't even care if anyone caught me.

"Which he did, easily, because it doesn't matter how fast you run if someone can burn the path right from under you."

Everyone around him was still. He knew Louis was listening in too, and Zayn wondered if he knew why Zayn had made the choices he did, later. If not, his confession could serve a double purpose.

"I tried to kill him, more than once, as he fed me and mocked and teased me even though he thought I couldn't understand, and brought me things that he thought I could use, that he traded for with humans and other creatures.

"Eventually, he asked me if I wanted to go home. I said yes. It was the first time I admitted I understood him and I only did it to spite him. I had no idea where my home was. But he knew."

Zayn pointed at his feet.

"They aren't that common. I found out, once, about abarimon, creatures with feet like mine, but I didn't know how to, or was maybe too afraid of trying to find them. He took me to my family. He _left me_ with my family and came back here.

"Dragons live alone because they don't want anyone to take their treasure, you know? They are jealous and not trusting. But Louis' cave was empty. The only thing in it was me. I kissed my family and cried and came back here so I could finally reply to all the stupid, ridiculous mocking shit he had teased me with."

"My wit is superior," Louis said from behind Liam and Niall, where he was leaning against a tree and hiding a smile.

"Sure it is," Zayn said mock-comforting.

"Is that why you came back?" Louis' voice was too serious for the joke, so Zayn knew what he was really asking.

"For you? What do you think?" He couldn't help but smile, sometimes Louis was truly ridiculous.

"Ugh, you are horrible, stop talking," Louis crossed the clearing and sat in Zayn's lap, grabbing his face too hard and planting a loud, wet kiss on his lips. Zayn was having none of that. He pinched Louis' ear to keep him in place and showed the other boys what they were missing. Harry, if the noise he made was any indication, got it.

-

Liam still tracked Louis' every move, but instead of openly hostile he looked more angrily curious now, so Zayn counted it as a win. Niall, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to give Louis a thousand hugs.

Zayn spent most of the day after that napping and half-listening to what everyone around him was saying. They kept it simple and fun for the rest of the day. Louis didn't mind leading the conversation and Niall and Harry didn't mind following. They clicked as friends so easily Zayn wished everyone they knew could do the same.

Louis kept his barbs away from Liam, mostly, which was good because he didn't respond well even to the smallest idea of being mocked. It was Louis' way, but Zayn knew it wasn't everyone's idea of a good time. And a guy who killed a rabbit for you was probably not a guy whose temper you wanted to mess with.

When Harry asked them to sleep over, Zayn wasn't even a little surprised that Louis accepted, but he didn't miss the small frown that Liam gave to Niall, or Niall's small shrug in return.

They decided to sleep out in the open, even though Harry invited them to share his space. Louis probably because he thought Zayn would be upset by his need to grope Harry, and Zayn because he didn't want Niall and Liam to feel thrown out of Harry's life.

Harry offered to keep the fire burning, but when Louis fell asleep he usually lost a little control over his dragon powers and always ended up keeping their entire cave warm all night long, so he wasn't worried about the cold.

-

Zayn woke up slowly, with the sun high up in the sky. There was something tickling his nose and it kept coming back no matter how many times he waved it away. He jumped up when it started crawling up his nose and he flailed like a duck before he heard Louis and Niall crack up.

Niall was sitting next to him, with a blade of grass between his fingers, following Louis' instructions. Gross. He hadn't known they would team up against him.

"I hate you both," Zayn said and fell back in his warm sleeping spot. He stretched out and felt the bones in his legs pop a bit. He needed a good run, and maybe a hunt.

"Liam is off hunting," Louis said, reading his body as easily as ever. "You could probably join him."

Niall nodded. "He only left a few minutes ago, that way," he pointed west, "you can still catch up to him." Zayn didn't say he could catch up to Liam if he had left a few days ago, he didn't need to, he just got up and started running. He only had a moment to enjoy Niall's surprised squeak before he had to concentrate on not falling on his face.

Running through forests required either tiny feet or amazing, quick focus, and even then it was a game of chances. Zayn didn't have tiny feet, but he was fast and his eyes followed well enough.

Forest floors also made a lot of noise under human or abarimon feet, so of course Liam had heard him coming, but Zayn was surprised to find that the werewolf had waited for him.

"I'm hungry and need a good run and Louis hasn't eaten since yesterday morning, wanna get something bigger than a rabbit?" he asked, and Liam answered with a wolfy smile. It was on.

Hunting with a ‘wolf was different than hunting with a dragon. For one, food wasn't instantly baked and there was no imminent danger of forest fire. But it also required more skill, planning, team work. Zayn loved it. They ran a long way off, looking for deer, sadly the biggest animal these forests provided, but at least they loved living around nymph home grounds. Zayn had to adjust his pace a little, but Liam was almost as fast as he was. He was just starting to feel his legs when Liam stopped, smelling their prey.

They split up, Zayn staying where he was and Liam moving ahead, looking to circle the animals and send them running towards Zayn.

A whole herd came running towards him, chased by Liam, and Zayn laughed out loud before running at them. They split up when they saw him, but Liam and he easily identified the one they wanted to go with and isolated it quickly. The deer wasn't as fast as Zayn or Liam but it kept swerving and jumping over shrubs and around trees so both of them got a few branches in the face, fell down more than a few times and Liam once got stuck in a shrub and Zayn had to go back and pull him out.

When they finally caught it, Zayn held it while Liam's bite quickly killed it. He thanked the animal, like his family taught him to when he was with them, and Liam met his eyes with understanding.

When the deer was down and Zayn still on his knees, Liam pressed against him until Zayn scratched slowly down his back, feeling the sharp hair between his fingers. Liam melted on top of him like yesterday and Zayn laughed hard as the ‘wolf tried to fit over his thighs.

"Let's take this to our guys, then I can pet you with less blood around."

Zayn placed the animal over his shoulders and they started the run back. Liam stopped him at one point and made him turn a bit off course, until they stopped under a nut tree where Liam had him pick a fistful of nuts and place them into the ‘wolf's mouth.

When they got back to the clearing, Niall and Louis seemed to be having a fire throwing competition under Harry's not very careful watch. They had thick globs of glass in front of them and they were trying to melt them. If they were meant to be making shapes, they were failing. Being a dragon, Louis was winning the melting competition. Niall apparently had to stop every few seconds to not set himself on fire. Liam… wasn't thrilled. He walked over to Harry and spat out the nuts at his feet before he turned back into were'.

"What are you _doing_!?" It was pointed at Niall but Zayn felt it could be meant for any of them. "He's a fucking dragon, you can't win!"

Harry tried to calm the situation with a quiet, "He's just working on his magic," but all it did was draw Liam's attention to him.

"Yeah, that's great. Maybe you can just turn into water or whatever if fire catches you, but you can't do shit to help Niall if he sets himself on fire, can you!?"

Harry flinched and Zayn saw Liam's anger melt at the sight of Harry's sad face, saw Louis open his mouth to probably say something cutting, but in the end it was Niall who ended it.

"I have to practice, Liam. And this is as controlled an environment as we're gonna get, so just don't."

They looked at each other for a long time, communicating without words, and eventually Liam nodded, looking a little defeated.

He turned to Harry and apologized from the heart but he was already forgiven, and they all got to watch a happy Harry take one of the nuts Liam brought him and bite through it, husk and all, like it was made of honey.

Louis giggled at it and Zayn finally dropped the deer and came up behind his dragon, kissing behind his ear. Louis leaned against him and smiled for a quick moment, before he had to continue his competition with Niall.

Zayn would let Louis take care of the deer later, he could use the fire to make it into a meal, but for now he went and sat next to where Liam was resting, against Harry's oak, looking to pet him in any form. Liam leaned against him when Zayn's nails started tickling his nape lightly. He ended up with his head in Zayn's lap eventually as Zayn started gently scratching his head, down his shoulders and back, and then up the arms, learning what made little goose bumps stand up on Liam's skin and what made shivers go down his body.

He caught Louis looking at them a few times, a little bit confused and a little unhappy, maybe. Zayn wanted to tell him Liam just needed time to get to know him, but he wasn't sure if that was true, any more.

He realized that Liam saw Niall and Harry almost as his pack, in his werewolf mind, the weaker ones who needed protection, whether he would ever admit it like that or not; and a dragon, a seemingly careless dragon who endangered his own pack, was a threat Liam couldn't just ignore.

Zayn understood, even if he didn't agree. He just wasn't sure it could be fixed.

**

** Louis **

Louis was the worst dragon ever. He had known that when he was a tiny baby dragon and he shared all his toys with his younger brothers and sisters, who would take the toys to their own part of the cave and never bring them back, while Louis found more and more things to give them.

They loved him, they played with him and made him tea and cuddled with him every night. They were just good dragons who hoarded things like they were supposed to.

Louis never wanted things. He wanted his siblings happy and with him, always. But dragons lived alone and Louis had to, too.

He never really got out of the habit of giving things, he just learned to get other things in return. He liked talking and making friends but he was a bit too sarcastic and raw for most creatures - it was dragon nature - and he ended up making a business rather than friends.

His forest wasn't very big, but he could fly wherever he wanted to at night and no one stopped him to ask where he was from. He flew all around the world, meeting many magical creatures and seeing amazing places. He got to thinking about it as hoarding experiences, which wasn't making him as happy as his family had, but it did make him feel a bit more like a dragon, so he accepted it.

When he settled into his cave he learned very quickly that his neighbours to the east and north were pixies. To the west were several creatures all living together in harmony but not interested in playing with him; and the south, for a long long way down, was held by an ancient nymph no one dared disturb. Louis was okay not bothering them too. He figured a nymph had to have a reason for being alone for so long, and he wasn't curious enough to risk his life finding out why.

His life was pretty calm, for a dragon, until he found the abarimon killing hare in his forest. He was young and weak, hungry and a little bit crazy. Louis took him to his cave and made sure he stopped killing Louis' animals for fun. Instead he fed him and gave him a place to sleep and technically, the boy could leave any time he wanted to, but he didn't. Every now and then Louis would fly out to look for where the boy came from. He never spoke and Louis didn't know how to ask him for anything, but he kept on chattering to him. Sometimes the boy seemed to understand because if Louis mocked him he would bite his lip, like he was trying so hard not to reply. Sometimes it made Louis mock him harder, saying things that were more and more ridiculous until the boy would stomp out and sit in the rain just so he didn't have to listen to him.

Having someone there, in his cave, even if they didn't speak and hated him a little, felt so right that Louis kept thinking back to his siblings and how much he loved having them in his space. He started to understand why he was such a bad dragon, but creatures weren't things you could hoard, they had to be free and safe, and no place was safer for an abarimon than with his family.

When Louis came back to his cave after he took Zayn home, he spent a day just staring at the forest from deep inside his cave, with no idea what he was supposed to do next. His mother felt something was wrong so she came to visit, didn't even tut at his empty cave like she usually would, just hugged him and let him cry on her shoulder.

"Your hair is the stupidest thing I've ever seen! Eating a rabbit is nothing at all like eating grass and how the hell is grasseater even an insult; you condescending, annoying, loud prick!" was the first thing Zayn said to him when he came back. "And another thing," he started, and then kissed Louis, wrapped his arms around Louis' neck and pulled him close until Louis was worried the fire inside him would burn Zayn too. Instead, he just took a deep breath and giggled into Louis' hair. And he stayed.

-

Harry smelled like fresh water and spring and Louis wanted to bury his nose in his hair and stay there forever. Luckily, Harry felt the same way. And Zayn was way more accepting of the whole thing than Louis thinks he would have been if the situation had been reversed. But then again, watching Zayn cuddle with Liam only made him sad that the werewolf hated him.

As much as Harry instantly loved him and Liam instantly hated him, Niall took his time getting to know Louis. It was fair, though Louis did prefer mindless adoration, personally.

Niall was quick to laugh and easy to talk to. Louis didn't feel like he had to be anything special to impress him. He thought he had him on his side when Liam suddenly left the clearing and Niall smiled sadly and followed. Harry watched them go but apparently couldn't hear the conversation that Louis did, because he didn't react at all.

Niall stood up for him about Zayn's accident, but he seemed absolutely certain Louis couldn't be trusted, there was no waver in his voice or a "but maybe we could try." They were done with him, just like that. He felt bitter anger building in him because he didn't even do anything this time, he made sure to be polite and only touch those who wanted him to, like Harry and Zayn. But they crossed him out anyway.

He knew who they were. Of course he did. _Everyone_ knew about the werewolf and leprechaun and their angry families bribing the whole forest to get them back. He would _never_ say anything to betray them, even if they were total dicks to him. But he wasn't going to grovel for their attention.

When he woke up the next morning Niall smiled at him happily and Louis knew he would forgive the leprechaun all kinds of horrible things for smiles like that one.

Niall was easier to talk to when Liam wasn't around. Or maybe Louis found it easier to talk to Niall like he usually would without constantly worrying if he would have an angry werewolf on his neck if he said the wrong word.

He followed instructions beautifully; he would do anything Louis told him to, and then laugh about it. They were alone for a few hours, while Harry did his thing and Liam and Zayn bonded by killing animals, and Louis got him to climb Harry's tree and jump off it into Louis' arms, only communicate in dragon noises until Louis told him to stop, tell him how much he loved Liam - backwards, hang from a branch while Louis fed him mushrooms, make Louis some trousers, shirt, long hair, short hair, fire hair, curly hair, purple hair. He let Louis pinch his belly, his butt, his arm and his nipples. Louis stuck around those because Niall's chest went beautifully red and he couldn't stop looking. And Niall just laughed through the pain and barely tried to stop him. Louis was getting addicted, it was a good thing Harry showed up.

At the end of the day, he and Zayn had to go back home. The pixies were worried that they'd really hurt Zayn and they should let them know he was okay. Even though it was a short flight back to their cave in the night, Louis felt like he was saying goodbye. He hugged Harry and sniffed his hair one more time. Niall fell into him like a rock and Louis pinched his side to hear him giggle. Then he stood and watched as Zayn and Liam hugged. The werewolf just nodded at Louis and he felt like shit because Liam didn't even deserve Louis wanting to hug him goodbye, but he wanted it anyway. His arms were really strong, he probably gave amazing hugs. Louis would ask Zayn later.

-

It was a cloudy night, the first one after almost twenty days of sun and clear skies, so Louis thought it was about time. Zayn was sitting on his back as they flew up the river, over Harry's forest. Even in the dark he could tell it was the healthiest, thickest forest in the country. Harry spent a lot of time caring for his plants and it showed.

"It's beautiful," Zayn said, reading his thoughts.

Louis nodded and they flew the rest of the way in silence.  

When they got home, they were welcomed by an army of upset pixies and Zayn got hugs from his favourites, Jade and Perrie, before a promise of a new war was made.

Louis waited patiently for it all to be over before he pulled Zayn into the cave and started kissing him. It had been two whole days of various beautiful guys walking around and letting him touch them and Zayn sleeping with him under the stars, but they were trying to be polite guests. So they barely even kissed and Louis wanted all four of them, even the horrible overprotective werewolf, but he'd settle for destroying Zayn for the foreseeable future.

Dragons and abarimon had about the same level of stamina and the same amount of love for violence. What that meant was that Zayn's shy smile was a vicious liar and it didn't matter how hard Louis pinned him down, Zayn would always come back up, push, twist, bite and end up on top, pinning him instead. It meant that Zayn's polite, sweet words turned to absolute filth the moment his mouth was free.

Louis had his knee on Zayn's hip, trying to turn him back over, when Zayn looked down at him with his hand painfully tight around Louis' dick. "I bet Harry wouldn't be fighting you." Louis knew then that he would lose.

"I bet he would be all sweet and polite under you, please and thank you and yes, more, Louis!" He said the last words in a slower, Harry voice.

His free hand was holding Louis down by his shoulder. "He probably makes the softest sounds, all breathy moans and quiet sobs. He would let you hurt him so easily, wouldn't he?" His fingers started playing with Louis' foreskin, still not really jerking him but Louis barely cared. They were still looking at each other.

"How much do you want him?" Zayn asked.

It was frightening, to answer that honestly, but he didn't know another way to be with Zayn. "So much, so much, Zayn, I want him with us forever, I want them all."

Zayn nodded and started moving his hand, still too tight and slow, more pain than pleasure.

"I know you do. Can you imagine," Louis probably could, "me and Niall, sucking your dick, together?" Louis keened and tried to get his dick to move faster through Zayn's hand. He could imagine, he so could. "He's so much lighter than me, we should be out in the sun, so you can really enjoy it. I would teach him to disobey you in all the best ways."

Louis finally got some leverage and managed to push back, getting back on top of Zayn and sitting on his stomach, with his arse covering the hard length of Zayn's dick. He started rocking on top of it, pressing his balls against the hard belly he was on.

"Like you don't want Liam to pin you down and fuck your throat until you can't speak?" he taunted.

Zayn caught his nipples with both hands, fingers tight as a vice pulling him down until their lips almost touched. "I want him to try. He's so fucking polite, I want him to use those muscles to try to make me do anything. I don't care what part of me he fucks, as long as he doesn't ask politely or thank me after."

"I'm not gonna thank you either," Louis teased and bowed down to bite Zayn's shoulder so hard it bruised before he started moving his arse against Zayn's dick, quickly making him come without finesse. He collected the come from his arse and started slicking himself up with it. Zayn would get hard again soon, Louis would be ready.

-

He woke up sore and happy. The sun was just coming up and Zayn was still very much asleep. Last night, just before falling asleep, he'd had an idea that would make Liam either love him or kill him. Either way, he was determined to try and help.

He walked over to pixie territory and asked someone to tell Red Ed to find him. It was easier than looking for him because sometimes Ed would crawl into a random tree and forget to come out for days and only the pixies knew where he was.

"Lewis!" Ed popped into space next to him, making him jump. He was ginger and tiny and a fan of clothes, especially green. He was a pot of gold away from being a proper leprechaun stereotype.

"R-Ed." Louis tried to play it cool but Ed's smirk was knowing.

"How are you, little man?"

And Louis wanted to punch him because of all the creatures in the world, Red Ed was one of the few who were actually shorter than him. He didn't have a witty comeback though and he comforted himself thinking it was because he used up all of his imagination last night.

"I'm great. But I'm not here for fun, I want to ask you something."

Ed nodded and grabbed his elbow. Louis didn't even have time to prepare before they were standing on top of some fucking mountain looking down at what looked like a desert. Ed was such a dick.

"Privacy," he said, like that meant he couldn't say "hold on" before he moved them halfway across the planet. Louis sighed.

"Right. Listen. You know the werewolf and leprechaun story, right?"

Ed looked at him sharply. "Yeah. Why, you found them?"

Louis made a face. "Let's talk in hypotheticals here so I don't have to lie to anyone."

Ed snorted. "So hypothetically…"

"No, first non-hypothetically, what do you know about their families?"

"Hm. The leprechauns are angry but seem to be wavering, the kid's been missing for too long, they've started giving out bribes for any word on him, not just to bring him back. The werewolves went from naughty to homicidal in the past few months. They are out for blood."

"Shit."

"Yeah. So." Ed repeated, "Hypothetically."

"Right, hypothetically, if I had found them, what do you think would be the best way to keep them safe?"

"Break the werewolf's pack bond, negotiate with the leprechauns." Ed paused meaningfully - Louis was really gonna punch him. "Hypothetically."

"That simple."

Ed laughed heartily now. "Yeah, simple as breaking a pack bond, which, hypothetical or not is not impossible but a thing of legends for sure. A lone ‘wolf can't do that. A ‘wolf and his leprechaun… maybe. But werewolves need their bond for stability. They're not shapeshifters like you, a dragon who turns into a little shithead. They are half beast half human, the most irrational of creatures, they draw strength from, and find balance in others. One person can't really be enough to hold them together."

"That's hypothetically complicated," Louis said. "Where do you think the pixies stand on this?"

Ed shrugged. "I've heard different comments, but most of them think it's sweet and romantic. There are some poems being written about it, I don't know, I don't ask."

They stood there for a moment looking at the desert, each caught in his own thoughts.

"You should keep them hidden as long as you can, hypothetically," Ed said eventually. "Everyone and everything in the forest talks."

"Thanks."

"No problem, Lewis."

"If I didn't need you to take me back..."

Ed laughed again and touched his nape, throwing them back near Louis' cave.

"Let me know how it goes, okay?"

Louis nodded and after a quick fistbump, Ed was gone.

-

He knew something was wrong when he heard Zayn talking in the cave. Pretty much everyone avoided the dragon's cave, thinking it was full of the treasure he jealously guarded. They weren't completely wrong, which was why he started running and felt his blood start boiling as soon as he heard it.

When he ran in Harry was there, Zayn's arms around him and tears in his eyes. When he noticed Louis he turned around and hugged him instead.

"They are leaving," he cried into Louis' shoulder.

"What, who?" he looked over Harry's shoulder at Zayn who just nodded, confirming his thoughts.

"Liam and Niall, they say they can't trust dragons and they have to go. I told them to stay till the night, because that makes sense, right? And I came here, and I hope they don't leave but you have to come with me, you have to convince them. You wouldn't betray them, would you?"

"No, I wouldn't," Louis said.

Okay, it hurt. He understood, but he honestly thought Niall at least would have some faith in him. Which, he should probably not mention Ed to anyone yet.

"I'll go talk to them, okay?" Louis told Harry, taking the opportunity to rub his nose against Harry's ear quickly. "I'll convince them." He had no idea how.

Harry wiped his tears and nodded, and Louis turned to Zayn with an evil grin. "Well, it's daytime and we have to move fast, you know what that means."

"You had no problem flying in the daylight the other day!" Zayn said.

"I was driven to madness with worry for you! And Harry here saved your life! You owe him!"

Zayn sighed and turned around, allowing Louis to jump on his back and wrap his legs around Zayn's waist.

"If you make one horse joke I'm throwing you into the river."

"I don't know if you heard, Zayn, but that can be dangerous."

He almost did fall off when Zayn started running though. The run wasn't as hard as normally because Harry had made them a path. When they got closer Zayn did throw him off and made him walk, while he got his breath back. He stretched his legs with a smile though. Zayn loved sleeping, but he also loved a good run. In a way, Louis was doing him a favour. He probably shouldn't have said that out loud though, his arm was gonna throb all day.

When they reached the clearing, Harry pushed him in first. Liam and Niall were sitting on the roots of their tree and Liam looked away when he saw Louis. He said, probably to Niall, "I told you so."

Niall nodded. "It's nothing personal," he told Louis.

"It doesn't feel very impersonal."  

"We don't really know you. But we can't stick around to get to know you either." Niall was very matter of fact about it.

"You stuck around to get to know Harry."

But Liam wasn't having that polite exchange between Niall and Louis. He cut right to the problem. "You're a dragon, mate. You have your ways, whatever, we're not judging, but we know how it goes. If your treasure is threatened, you'll give us up in a second, that's just how it is!"

He could feel his anger rising. "That is bullshit! That is speciesism or something!"

Liam cocked an eyebrow at him. Louis wanted to pinch him so hard, but Harry needed him not to mess this up, so he took a deep breath and looked at the leaves above their heads to calm down a little.

"Zayn wasn't lying. There was nothing, and still is nothing, inside my cave except for him. He is the only… one, I have. And yes, if someone threatened him I would consider giving you up, okay, but I would still consider all the other options first. Like going there and saving him myself with my massive dragon _power_!" He was shouting again but he couldn't understand how everyone knew he was a dragon when they needed to point a finger at someone but forgot it when it was actually useful.

"You know who we are," Niall said quietly, listing another argument.

"Everyone knows who you are."

"Harry didn't."

Of course Harry didn't. "But you told him, right?" He really hoped they had so he didn't wait for confirmation before he continued, "And he kept your secret, he could have shared it with the whole forest, but he didn't. So I'm asking, give me a chance." Somehow, he still ended up grovelling. It bothered him, but doing it for Harry was better than doing it for himself.

"Is Zayn your treasure?" Liam asked completely tactlessly. Some things were left unsaid for a _reason_.

"Don't break him," Zayn said behind him. "He can only express himself through violent pinching and polysyllabic words."

"Wow that's a big one."

"That's what he said!" Niall and Liam shouted at the same time.

It took the rest of them a while to get it but then they all cracked up, breaking the tense atmosphere. It made the moment almost comfortable, and this time when Niall looked at Liam, Louis could read their conversation. Louis wasn't off the hook yet, but they would give him a try. Louis, historically, did great under pressure. Only, he was somehow always left standing alone when it was over.

**

** Harry **

It had been a lifetime since Harry had so many others in his life. He wasn't sure how to split attention between everyone and he constantly worried someone was being neglected.

Zayn confused him the most because he could be quiet for so long and sometimes when he did talk Harry had no idea what it was about. Harry knew that wasn't regular abarimon behaviour, they didn't enjoy silence or being still, it was probably the sphinx who taught Zayn how to observe and make himself appear invisible. Harry didn't want him to be invisible.

Louis was very simple, to Harry, because he demanded attention aggressively and as often as possible.

Liam and Niall were like their less extreme doubles. They split like that, for a bit, Niall with Louis and Liam with Zayn, and Harry could just fall anywhere and have hands in his hair or someone to talk to and if he had enough he could sit apart and watch them all.

It was the best two days of Harry's life, after Niall and Liam agreed to stay. He still worked on his forest but sometimes someone went with him, and if not, he still had a noisy home to come back to. He was happy. And worried.

-

"Harry, Harry, what are you doing?"

He woke up with a flinch and looked up to see Zayn at the entrance of his tree.

"What's wrong?" He pushed out of the tree, feeling numb with worry. Something was wrong, something always went wrong. He could barely breathe. When he got out he saw it was the middle of the night and all the boys were standing around the clearing. "What happened?"

"Were you asleep?" Zayn asked, confused.

"Yeah," Harry knuckled his eyes, "why?"

"You were doing magic," Louis said, "we thought you were awake. Sorry if we scared you."

"I what? No, I was sleeping."

"I told you, he does that," Niall said to Louis.

"No I don't. What do I do?"

"You kind of… cover us?" Liam tried to explain, looking apologetic.

"Like a blanket," added Niall.

Harry had no idea what a ‘blanket' was.

Zayn rubbed his eyes and sighed. "Your magic sort of surrounded us, like a hug, but more… everywhere around us."

"Oh," Harry said, starting to understand. "I'm sorry, I had no idea I did that." He knew he reached out to Niall and Liam one night, on purpose, but he didn't do it again because it felt invasive. Except, it seemed he did do it. "I'll make sure I stop."

"You've been doing it almost since we got here, we don't mind," Niall said.

Zayn agreed, "Yeah, it's not a problem, we were just confused."

"And making out," Louis said, "we were making out and we weren't sure if you wanted in on it or what."

Liam growled. Louis winked at him. Niall and Zayn saw the whole exchange and took a step back.

"Why don't you learn some class, you caveman," Liam hissed at Louis.

"I have no idea what that is but if it means I have to wait forever to ask him, I don't think I'm gonna do that."

"Wait, you were asking?" Harry tried to break the tension, but it just made Louis smile at him winningly which got him another angry growl from Liam.

"If you're gonna fucking growl at me you better be ready to take it somewhere."

"Oh I'm ready."

"No, you're not," Niall finally said.

"Really, boys." Zayn agreed, "Harry is not a prize for you to fight over."

Harry shrugged because he didn't mind being a prize, much, but he also didn't want Louis and Liam to fight over him because that would mean one had to lose.

"I don't see why we have to fight at all, I asked, they didn't, what's the problem?" Louis said and Harry had to agree with Zayn that really sounded bad. When he thought about it.

"We're not exactly in the same position, are we?" Niall said, still calm, "and we didn't want to offer two days and then who knows if we ever see each other again. He's our friend, first of all."

Louis opened his mouth but this time Zayn just walked over and put his hand over it. "Stop saying words, Louis. I don't know what's wrong with you but think for a moment about what you want."

They stood like that for a long time, Zayn's hand over Louis' mouth and the rest of them waiting. But when Louis shook Zayn's hand off he was still angry. "It doesn't matter, does it, _he_ won't even look at me except to growl and tell me what a shit I am."

Everyone heard it, they all knew who he was talking about.

"That's not true!" Liam said, even though Harry thought it sort of was. "I look at you all the time, everything is fun to you! And that's great, that you get to live like that, but we're not all that lucky! You want us to trust you but you are never serious about anything!"

"I'm serious about what matters! I'm serious about Zayn…"

"You almost got Zayn killed for a stupid prank!" They were both shouting at that point.

"It was an accident! The pixies fucking adore Zayn, they would take him from me if they could, not kill him!"

"Oh," Liam said, suddenly deflated.

"Yes. Oh," came the ice cold reply.

Harry ran his fingers through his hair, worried.

"And now you want Harry too," Liam half asked, half concluded.

"It's not that simple," Louis said, fidgeting and looking at the ground.

Zayn came closer to him again and whispered something no one else could hear. Louis crossed his arms and just said, "Fine."

They all watched Zayn approach Liam, touch his jaw gently and kiss him. For such a delicate kiss, it hit Harry like a punch to the gut.

"Wow," Niall said, "that is _really_ not simple."

Zayn started laughing and it was infectious. They all ended up on the ground near Harry's oak, giggling.

Harry leaned his head on Louis' shoulder. "So you _were_ asking?"

He felt a kiss get lost in his hair. "Yeah. And not like you were a thing to win. I'm really, I'm asking. But not just for two days either."

"I never thought about it," Harry said honestly. He loved how they had been, the touching was amazing, but he worried a lot about the future, he hadn't had time to think about more. Everyone could be gone in a moment, he wasn't sure how to plan a future with anyone.

"You want too much," Liam told Louis. Zayn's head was in Liam's lap and his legs on Louis and Harry. Niall was slowly falling asleep and slipping from Liam's shoulder to join Zayn in his lap. It meant Liam and Louis were sitting as close as they had been since they met.

"I want everything. I know I probably won't get it, but a dragon has to try."

Harry nudged Louis' shoulder with his nose. "You can have anything you want."

Louis didn't comment but Harry was sure he felt another kiss in his hair.

Niall finally fell all the way down and for a while, everyone just watched them sleep. Then Harry made a bed of soft leaves around them all and let the night take him away.

-

Harry understood why Louis wanted it all when he woke up. Liam was stuck in the middle, on his back, with Louis and Harry on one side and Zayn and Niall on the other. They were all pressed together as close as possible, with limbs tangled and faces pressed to the other's skin like it was a most comfortable flowerbed.

It was funny and wonderful, it made him _happy_. He always knew that after a while, being alone became a choice. And maybe now was the time for a new one.

He leaned down and kissed Louis' neck, making him snuggle closer to Liam. It was good seeing them like that after all the shouting last night. Maybe it was a fight in the right direction.

Harry noticed Niall looking at him across the sleepers and smiled.

"Strawberries," Niall said before he yawned.

"Hmm. Wanna go looking for them?" Harry asked.

Niall jumped up.

-

Of course Harry knew the best places for strawberries, but that didn't mean they had to go straight there.

"This is the longer path," he explained. "Sometimes you have to enjoy the journey so you can enjoy the destination, you know?"

Niall laughed happily. "Sometimes I'm not sure if the stuff you say is really deep or really rubbish."

"Hey!"

Niall reached out and took his hand to comfort him. "It sounds really deep though, I'm not complaining."

"Hm. Good." Harry squeezed Niall's fingers and didn't let go.

-

Niall was sitting in a field of wild strawberries, picking fistfuls and grinning gross red smiles. Harry spent more time watching him and laughing than he did eating. He was so used to the way Niall looked that he only realized Niall still wore clothes every day when he wiped his sticky fingers on them.

"Hey, is it weird for you that we're all uncovered?"

Niall shrugged and chewed on some more strawberries. "It's weird, but not bad. It's just not something I'm used to." He paused and waited until Harry's mouth was full to continue. "A lot of dick."

Harry choked a little laughing and ended up spitting half the berries from his mouth.

When they were done eating, they sprawled in the grass, letting sunshine and little bugs crawl over them.

"I didn't know my magic was hugging you," Harry suddenly remembered what started the whole conversation last night.

"Yeah. It was nice, really. Like having you there with us."

"I didn't know that either."

"That we wanted you?"

"Yes."

Niall turned his head so he could look at Harry and despite how anxious he felt, Harry looked back at him.

"We still do."

"Oh."

Niall licked his lips, still red with strawberries, and nodded. Harry rolled onto his stomach, up on his elbows, and leaned over Niall's face.

Niall was sweet and berries-sticky. Harry licked up the taste from his lips and swallowed his shaky breath. He hadn't kissed a lot of creatures in his life, and certainly no one in a long time. It wasn't really a kiss though, not until Niall wrapped an arm across his shoulders and pulled him down, blocking everything around them.

Harry got lost in it for a bit, exploring Niall's lips and listening for his reactions, learning a whole other side of him.

He fell back into the grass with a smile on his face and watched clouds passing over them. His forest had been waiting for rain for a long time now and after days of just flying over, the clouds finally looked like they were ready.

"I love the forest under rain," he told Niall. "It smells like... so much more."

Niall pressed a kiss into his shoulder. "We haven't had a chance to enjoy it yet, it's gonna be a new experience, I guess."

Harry thought about how incredible it would be in the night, when the rain and owls were the only sounds in the forest and somehow he started thinking about Liam's painful cries the night his family tormented him through their bond.

"Has Liam been okay? I haven't felt him hurt since that night."

Niall paused, like he still wasn't sure what information he could share and what he should keep to himself. "Something is going on," he said eventually, "but I don't know what. Something happened when Louis came."

"Bad?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well he certainly doesn't like Louis." Although, Harry hoped that had changed last night.

"He's worried, but the problem isn't that he _doesn't_ like him."

The way he emphasized that had Harry looking at him curiously. "No!" He couldn't have read that right.

Niall laughed. "Yes."

"He has a funny way of showing it."

"He wishes he could be as carefree as Louis, I think."

Harry heard the sadness in his tone and turned sideways to hug him. "You can be whatever you want here."

"Maybe," Niall said, but he smiled and Harry didn't insist.

-

Louis was first in his, then in Niall's face the moment he saw them.

He sniffed loudly and announced, "Strawberries!" before his eyes narrowed and he pointed at them both with each hand, "Kissing!"

"Oooh!!" Zayn added from somewhere behind Louis.

Louis hugged Niall and patted his back. "Good job little Niall, I'm proud. You should kiss me next." But before either of them could do anything about that Liam inserted himself between them. It was a wolfy move and Harry laughed over Louis' loud complaints.

"Maybe Liam wants you to kiss him instead," Zayn supplied helpfully.

"Oh Liam!" Even Harry cringed when Louis slapped Liam's face and grabbed and shook his chin. "All you had to do was ask!"

Harry thought Liam might have wanted to kiss Louis, but not this loud, frankly mean version of him. He saw Liam's arms come up and prepared for another fight when Zayn appeared behind Louis and pushed his fingers painfully into Louis' hair. "No," he said simply and Louis' hand fell off Liam's face. "Be nice."

The stubborn look didn't leave Louis' face but he stood still and quiet.

Zayn kissed his cheek and mumbled something that finally made Louis smile.

Harry noticed Niall and Liam were equally transfixed by what was happening before them. It was strange seeing Louis so calm, but it was somehow fitting that Zayn was the one to make him that way.

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry, Liam, you can kiss me if you want to," Louis said in a voice that heavily implied he was doing them all a massive favour.

Liam took a step closer so Louis had to tilt his head up to look at him. They were so close now their bodies were almost touching and even though Louis was a _dragon_ , in this form he was almost pixie like, shorter and thinner than the werewolf. Harry shivered looking at them. It was powerful, the magic between them made him restless; but more than that, Harry's body, ignored for so long, started waking up in the past two weeks and now he could feel their standoff in every muscle.

He whimpered when Liam finally kissed Louis. It started as a bite, Liam's teeth holding Louis' upper lip and then there was a quick flash of tongues before their lips met. Louis' head was leaning on Zayn's shoulder and his whole body seemed to be giving in but Harry saw the struggle in their kiss. He wasn't sure if anyone won, but Liam was smiling when he pulled back and Louis nodded, licking his lips carefully.

Zayn scratched Louis' neck quickly and kissed his ear before letting him go. And just like that, Louis was back to being loud and prickly, though not towards Liam specifically.

-

The heavy, dark rain clouds covered the forest, throwing it into darkness in the middle of the day. Rain started slowly, almost quietly and grew louder, drops hitting leaves faster and harder, breaking through and finding their way down to the ground and Harry.

He forgot to care about anyone else as he stood in the middle of his clearing, face tilted up, letting the rain break over him. It washed his hair and face and down the rest of his body, creating mud under his feet. He wasn't sure how long he stood there, but when he came back to a quiet whine from behind him, there was a puddle around him. He looked around to see who made the noise and saw Louis, held again by Zayn but not so calm this time. He was staring at Harry hungrily and trying to tear Zayn's arms away, slipping in the mud, careless with desperation.

Harry moved without thinking until Louis could grab and pull him closer, rub his face against Harry's skin and finally, with deep breaths, settle on his shoulder.

"You smell so…" Louis couldn't finish and Zayn unwrapped his arms from around him, tapping Harry on the chest twice in the process. Harry smiled and took over holding Louis.

"It's the rain," Harry tried to explain to Louis and anyone else listening, but Louis just shook his head and opened his mouth against Harry's skin. "No, it's you." He took a deep breath to prove a point, but then, like he wasn't getting enough, he started licking along Harry's collarbone. "You taste like it too."

Harry exhaled slowly. Between the rain, the kissing and Louis' needy sounds, Harry was done taking it easy. He cupped Louis' face, got him to look up and bent down for a kiss wet with rain. He felt Louis' arms come up around his neck, his body pressing closer until they were touching everywhere. He didn't know they weren't close enough until Louis broke the kiss for a moment to jump up and wrap his legs around Harry's waist. Harry only caught him because they stumbled into a tree and he could press Louis into it and then go back to the kiss with Louis' cock resting soft on his belly.

"Um, Harry."

"Holy shit," he heard behind him, but couldn't move. Between the rain, Louis and all the other boys there with them, Harry was sure he would never need anything else in his life.

"Harry, mate," he heard Zayn's voice and thought maybe Zayn wasn't happy about this, maybe he and Louis had rules that Harry was breaking horribly right now. That finally got him to slowly lower Louis' legs and take a step back, making the same pitiful noise Louis did when their lips finally parted, wet and sore.

But when he opened his eyes he saw what they were calling him for. The tree they were leaning on had grown. It went high up and got a bit wider but mainly it grew dozens of new, thick, branches full of shiny green leaves, all tittering happily in the rain now. He sighed.

"We do good work together I think," Louis said next to him, also looking up at the tree.

Harry shook his head even as he heard the other boys laugh behind them. "It can't stay like that, it's not healthy, too much… everything." Harry would have to kill some of it.

"Oh," Louis' hand slipped into his, "sorry, then."

Harry grinned and kissed Louis on the cheek. "I forgive you."

**

** Niall **

Niall was in love with Louis. Okay, it was more complicated, he didn't really _know_ Louis enough for that. But he knew what a difference Louis made in their lives and he loved him for it. He was a spark that got all of them moving, he shook them out of their hiding and fear and got them to enjoy life. For Niall it had started with Harry, but the nymph had been hiding in his own way too. Louis… challenged them. To live.

Niall hadn't felt this free to be his mischievous leprechaun self since he stopped talking to his family.

He found it much easier to trust Louis when he understood what Zayn was to him. Dragons would kill to keep their treasure. They weren't very morally… concerned. And Zayn was definitely the dragon's treasure. Liam was still struggling with his conflicting feelings about Louis, but Niall was pretty sure he knew why Louis and Zayn were spending so much time with them. Louis wanted them all. It was sweet, in an overwhelming way, but Niall knew it wasn't that simple. Making a commitment like that was a big deal. They could never leave without risking seriously hurting Louis, and Niall honestly had no idea what would happen if they got in a real fight, or if they wanted to attempt living near people again, or if they just grew out of being friends, which was a thought that horrified Niall even without the lifelong commitment aspect.

It was actually so complicated Niall didn't think about it at all. He fantasized about it instead. It was a _beautiful_ fantasy. Staying in Harry's forest, protected by his and Harry's magic, a dragon and a werewolf, getting into mock-wars with pixies, having friends and lovers. Niall would get his own garden, probably. Get Harry to help him some and grow all the food he'd been missing since he started living strictly on forest plants. They could help others who needed it, provide shelter and food and love and whatever else was needed.

He wanted to share it with Liam but there was no way to do it without Louis hearing them and he didn't want that for many reasons.

But he knew Liam sensed the change in him as much as he did the one in Liam and they would have to find a moment to talk soon, make sure they were still in the same place.

-

But they put the talk on hold when all the kissing started. Niall knew he should find it strange, but Zayn, Louis and Harry didn't seem to think it was even worth talking about. Niall decided to take on their attitude when he found himself unable to figure out if kissing Harry was hotter than watching Liam and Harry kiss Louis. They were both amazing in their own way and they both made his trousers tight fast enough that Liam threw him a judgmental look. Whatever, Niall loved kissing and he saw Liam cupping himself when Harry fell into that tree with Louis.

The tree was gigantic now and Niall couldn't stop laughing. If a kiss had Harry doing that, what would happen when he went all the way? He really wanted to find out.

But the rain was falling heavier and their clearing was turning into cold mud. His and Liam's home under the roots was starting to flood too. The only safe place was Harry's tree, which wasn't big enough for the five of them. Harry made an unhappy face when Zayn brought it up. Niall had a feeling he didn't see a problem with sleeping in the rain.

Louis looked unhappy too. Zayn sighed. "So _we_ were thinking, maybe you'd like to come to our cave, see how we live and stay warm for the night?" Louis was playing with his toes in the mud and didn't want to look up. Niall understood, he was waiting for Liam's angry reply too.

But as silence stretched on, Niall looked at Liam and saw him actually thinking about it. "How safe is it?" he eventually asked, and it took Louis a while to realize the question was meant for him.

"Oh. I think it's pretty safe? I mean, it's a cave, we don't close it, but no one comes in anyway. And my land isn't empty but no one wants to walk around a dragon's cave." He shrugged, but his face was hopeful.

"The trees?" Niall asked Harry.

"I'll talk to them, but as long as you're just in the cave, they won't know anything about you."

When Liam looked at him for confirmation, Niall was quick to nod. He was worried too but the night was going to be cold and wet and he didn't want to spend it like that if he didn't have to.

He got really excited about it though when Louis said flying there would be fastest. He, Liam and Harry exchanged happy smiles and Zayn laughed at them but then said, "It's amazing, lads, you'll love it."

Louis looked smug, as expected.

He changed quickly. He was green, scaly and large, barely fitting the clearing and that was with his wings folded. The last time he'd actually had to jump to get over the trees before he was able to spread his wings. Luckily he was big enough to do that comfortably. His tail was long and Niall wanted to touch the spikes on it to check if they were sharp but was a bit scared of poking the actual dragon.

But when Zayn helped them climb up they had to grab the spikes on Louis' back and Niall found out that while the tops were sharp, made for fighting, the bottoms of the spikes, and the rest of Louis, were just a bit sticky and unexpectedly warm. He held on tight and saw Liam do the same. He turned to smile at Harry and almost fell when Louis jumped.

He heard the wings spread more than he saw it in the dark and then they were off, flying through the cold rain with Louis carrying them towards his home. He thought that between the wind and the rain the ride would be uncomfortably cold, but Louis gave off so much heat he was actually grateful for the wind.

He ended up disappointed with how fast they came to the cave, even though he couldn't see anything under them. He wished they could take a ride during the day some time, but knew it was unlikely. Chalk another one up to the fantasy.

The cave was in the middle of a sharp cliff which overlooked the forest but was mostly covered with moss and small shrubs. He couldn't see the cliff face, but Zayn had told them once there was a climbing path he used whenever they weren't flying, that Louis helped make comfortable for his non-climbing feet.

Louis flew straight into the hole. The entrance was tight and dark, and as they slowed down they could no longer hear the rain or see anything around them, there was just darkness and their breathing.

Niall heard Louis take a deep breath and then fire spread around them, catching various spots on the walls and floors, throwing the cave into yellow light.

It was huge. They were in one central room that was the size of Niall's old house, but he could see corridors spreading from it to who knows where. Thankfully Zayn helped them back down because he and Liam were too busy looking around to make sure they didn't break anything climbing off the dragon.

Niall realized he didn't really understand what it meant when Louis said Zayn was the only thing he had in the cave. Other than the occasional set of branches for fire and moss on the ground, there was literally nothing in there with them. Maybe somewhere through the corridors, but not here.

When they were all off, Louis turned back. He looked like he wasn't sure what to say, waiting for their judgment. The thing was, even though the room was empty, the walls were filled with colours, stone mostly in shades of yellow and moss green but the fire made it look like a golden sunset.

"It's beautiful," Harry said, and Niall nodded, touching the stone where he couldn't figure out if the colour was real or just a reflection of the fire.

"It's amazing," Liam agreed.

"Good!" Louis said, like that was the exact reaction he'd been expecting. "This is where we sleep, because it's comfortable and open. Through that hole, you can't really miss it, except it's dark so take fire with you, there's water." He pointed at one specific exit and Niall hoped he would remember which. He showed them other holes they might need, and some he didn't even mention, but not like he was avoiding them, more as if he had too many to care about them all.

Liam was sticking close to him and Niall didn't mind. He found himself grabbing Liam's hand and holding tight. They were in a new place, it always made them jumpy, but especially this time, when they were putting their trust into someone else's hands.

They'd made sure to eat before they left, so after Niall made himself some dry pants they had nothing to do now but sit near a fire and talk until they fell asleep.

And that's what they did for a while, talking and teasing, getting to know each other without asking too many questions, just sharing stories. Liam and Zayn discovered they both liked comics and Zayn promised Liam some new ones. He said he got his from Louis who traded for books and anything Zayn mentioned liking. He admitted he painted a little himself.

Niall remembered Liam used to carve, beautifully, before a forgotten figurine almost got them in trouble, but neither of them mentioned that to Zayn.

Louis and Harry talked to each other on a whole other level that no one could understand, but Louis loved to talk about music too and had a lot of opinions Niall disagreed with.

They were all calming down slowly, not tired but left with nothing to do. Except, the cave was large and mostly closed, every sound echoed and sounded louder than normal. Niall didn't mean to go far, but he was used to kissing Liam before they fell asleep. And the sound of their lips parting exploded in the room, followed by Harry's quiet, "Oh." Harry was in the middle of the five of them, because they felt bad putting him on either side and his eyes were half closed when Niall went for the kiss. But they were open now, looking at them shamelessly. Niall saw Louis and Zayn peering over Harry's shoulder.

He laughed and kissed Liam again, this time with a purpose. Liam's familiar response and taste had him moaning softly and their audience seemed to appreciate it, because they all shuffled closer until he felt a warm hand on his back, lips on his shoulder. He wasn't sure who it was but it felt good. Liam moaned loudly under him and Niall knew someone was touching him too. It was still slow, exploratory, and Niall let himself enjoy it all.

When he looked up, he saw Zayn's fingers trailing down Harry's arm, somehow enough to have Harry leaning back into him, searching blindly to kiss him. Zayn helped him by leaning over a little and when they kissed, Liam trembled under Niall.

Zayn flinched and opened his eyes suddenly, meeting Niall's. He wasn't sure what had happened until Zayn moved enough to speak. "Niall, could you please entertain Louis, I think he's bored." And when Niall looked, Louis had his teeth in Zayn's shoulder, trying to leave a mark and draw attention to himself.

Liam huffed, seemingly annoyed at Louis' antics, but Niall knew the smirk hiding behind his eyes.

Niall crawled over all of them, ignoring their groaning and whining about his knees and elbows and fell behind Louis, pulling him towards him and away from Zayn's bruised shoulder.

He wasn't sure he knew how to give Louis what he needed, he wasn't Zayn, who always seemed to know what he was doing. In the friendship between Louis and Niall, Niall was used to pleasing Louis, not demanding from him.

Luckily, Louis was okay with that. He reached behind him and dragged Niall where he wanted him with fingers tight in his hair. Niall was lying on top of him but when they kissed, Louis was the one controlling his every move. He heard Liam's moan from Zayn's other side and just had time to realize he was having a good time too before Louis noticed his distraction and bit his lip.

Niall melted into him. He knew it was ridiculous but he loved being what Louis needed. He opened his mouth when Louis wanted him to, tilted his head, let him explore and take whatever he wanted. After a while Louis realized he didn't have to hold him in place anymore and used his hands to leave nail trails down Niall's back. His skin was too pale for anything else to happen under that sharp pressure. He gasped into Louis' mouth but didn't move away. He felt kisses follow Louis' sharp marks down his back and again wanted to know who it was but didn't dare turn around.

Louis moaned into his mouth, sounding pleased with Niall. It made goose bumps spread over Niall's back and whoever it was kissed a way up to his neck trailing those.

Then Zayn bit his ear and said loudly, "You'll spoil him, you can't let him have everything he wants."

"But I want him to."

Louis murmured happily, "Yeah, Zayn, he wants me to get everything I want."

"Doesn't seem fair," Zayn said and kissed down Niall's neck, "what about the rest of us?"

"You have Harry," he said and got a loud moan of agreement from Harry who was, Niall checked, clinging to Liam and yeah, Liam definitely had him.

"You're mean," Zayn told him and it got Louis laughing.

"He's just jealous, go ahead give him a kiss," Louis prompted Niall.

Zayn always touched all of them gently, but now, after Louis's biting kisses he was like a calming balm on Niall's lips.

They kissed for a long time and other than Louis trying to mark everyone they didn't go much further. Niall wasn't sure how long it lasted, but after a while he was back in Liam's arms with his face in Zayn's hair. He used his last thought to douse the fire when someone asked him to.

-

There was some light in the cave when he woke up, he could see it pouring from around the corner, where the exit was, but the cave was too big to be brightly lit by that. He was alone too, though he suspected Liam was close by.

When he came to the exit he saw Liam sitting on the edge, his hands claws, carving a bunny out of a log. Niall blinked. It had been so long since Liam did that, he didn't think it would ever happen again. The last time Niall saw him carving, they forgot and left it behind. Their families found it and used it to get closer than ever. So he just stopped. Niall knew it couldn't have been as easy as that, but he never talked about it. And now here he was doing it again, probably because of his conversation with Zayn yesterday, and either giving up or relaxed enough not to care about leaving evidence.

He sat next to Liam and saw Harry below them, touching some trees and laughing loudly, almost glowing in the rain.

"Good morning." Liam dropped the carving and turned his claws to fingers again before he bumped Niall's shoulder. "Harry got the forest to be quiet about us being here, hopefully."

"Did he say hopefully, or are you?"

Liam smiled, looking fondly at Harry. "Me. Zayn is somewhere picking berries or something," he continued, "says they make jam, can you imagine?"

Niall laughed, he loved jam.

"Louis?"

Liam shrugged like he couldn't care less. Niall knew him better.

"So, we're all alone?" Niall winked at him.

Liam smiled, but not a real one. "Like that matters now?"

Yeah, definitely should have checked in with him before, Niall thought. "Does it bother you, the kissing, and all?" What the kissing meant.

"It doesn't _bother_ me, I just don't know what the point is. How does everyone think this will end? We're all gonna live together happily ever after?" Liam waved a dismissive hand. Niall wasn't sure what his face was saying, but it stopped Liam just as he opened his mouth again. "Oh," he said.

It was just a fantasy, Niall thought. "It's stupid," he smiled, "I know what you mean."

"Niall." He wanted to escape but Liam's fingers on his knee and his soft voice held him in place. "Harry can talk to everyone in the entire world, but we're out of our safe place now. And even without that, this isn't… don't you ever want to go back, try to finish school, work, live like we were raised?"

"What's wrong with this?" Niall spoke up before he knew he wanted to defend their new life, the potential of it.

"There's nothing here, we eat, we sleep, we now kiss everyone, I guess. You wanna do that for the rest of our very, very long lives?"

"No," Niall said, "but Harry does things. Zayn and Louis do things. We could learn and help out. It's not like I want to be an accountant anyway. Do you," Niall swallowed, "do you want to go back to school?"

Liam opened his mouth but didn't say anything. Eventually he just shook his head. Niall wasn't sure what that meant so he smiled comfortingly, just in case. Liam wrapped both arms around him and pulled him closer, rubbing their cheeks together. "I don't know what I am here, other than your boyfriend."

Niall knew that wasn't enough. He hugged Liam closer. "We can figure it out, if you want."

Liam sighed. "What if they find us?"

And Niall felt a spark of hope he hadn't known he was nurturing explode inside him. "We have a dragon, a werewolf, an abarimon, an ancient nymph and my ability to melt glass. We're not alone any more, we can fight."

Liam hummed, like he only just realized it, "Guess we can."

"So we can continue with all the kissing, then?" Niall asked, making Liam crack up.

"Big hopes for the only guy in the group wearing pants."

Niall jumped to his feet. "Oh you think so?" He tugged his pants down until he was naked and then threw them off the cliff. "There, how's about that!"

"Looking good, Niall!" he heard Harry yell and okay, it made him blush, but he made it better by shaking his arse in Harry's direction and listening to Liam laugh so hard he almost fell off the edge.

**

** Liam **

Liam enjoyed the view of Niall's dick shaking in his face, which Niall completely forgot about as he was trying to moon Harry. His boyfriend was ridiculous and Liam had almost forgotten it, because he didn't have a chance to be ridiculous for so long. It was definitely time for a change. And Niall was right, if a dragon wasn't enough to keep them safe, then they never stood a chance anyway.

They climbed down to the bottom of the cliff, not a long way though slippery on the moss, so they were careful. Of course Niall almost fell down more than once because he kept twisting so he wouldn't scrape his dick on anything. He ended up just jumping down and Liam followed.

Harry was laughing with his hands in a dangerous looking shrub with long, thin thorns everywhere, and Harry's fingers grabbing them like they didn't matter, so they came over to see what was so funny.

"It's telling me jokes," Harry said. "They are brilliant." He laughed again and shook his head. "Listen to this. ‘Why did the apple cross the street? Because he wanted to get to the other cider the road!'" and he cracked up again.

Liam looked at Niall who was laughing right along and wondered if they had been poisoned by something. He noticed Zayn standing a bit further away, a basket in his hand, full of berries, and he was staring at Harry and Niall with a look on his face that reflected Liam's thoughts.

"Some moss took a lichen to a tree!" When Harry started laughing again Liam couldn't help but wonder how much of those puns he actually understood and what that said about the fact that he was laughing anyway. And that Niall was too.

Zayn walked over to him just as "In some conifer forests, you can't cedar wood for the trees." was happening. Zayn was smiling now too, amused by Harry or the joke, Liam couldn't tell.

Then "What kind of tree grows on your hand? A palm tree," and all Liam could think was "oh God, it's contagious," before he started giggling.

"Its parent grew up in a human garden so it knows a lot of human puns," Harry explained later, as they were sitting on the ground in a circle helping Zayn separate the berries - some things only dragons could eat. "Probably got pooped here by a bird as a seed."

Liam didn't want to imagine remembering being ‘pooped' by anyone.

"So how come you know so many human words?" Zayn asked.

Liam flinched. They'd never asked. Harry's past seemed horrible in ways Liam never wanted to poke at, but for once Zayn channelled Louis and just grabbed the opportunity he saw, not caring about consequences. Liam thought he might have to slap him, if he made Harry cry.

Harry didn't look like he was going to cry though, he looked dangerous. The hairs on the back of Liam's neck stood up, warning him about danger. It made no sense, it was just Harry, he was the gentlest, most uncoordinated nymph loner Liam could imagine. And yet.

"I spent some time watching them," Harry said in a voice so detached it didn't even sound like it belonged to him.

Liam thought maybe that would be it, but this time Harry seemed to want them to know.

"When I moved into this forest there was no one else there because humans thought they owned it. The forest was smaller back then, they had gardens and miles of grass for no reason. They lived in the castle," he said with a nod at Niall and Liam.

"Castle?" Zayn asked.

"It's a huge house really," Niall said, "in the middle of Harry's forest. Beautiful."

Harry hummed. "They called it their castle. And their forest." Harry frowned. "It wasn't theirs. I asked the trees, they weren't happy."

Liam swallowed because, at some point the people left, leaving only Harry in the forest and now Liam wondered how and why they left. On one hand, he couldn't imagine Harry hurting anyone. On the other, they were sure he lost his family to humans, he could have taken his revenge easily.

Liam heard Louis coming back and wasn't sure if he wanted him to interrupt this story or keep quiet until they knew everything they had wondered about Harry.  

Zayn waved him over and asked how it went. Louis gave him a quick peck before he explained to everyone, "I had a talk with the pixies, just letting them know they should stay away for a while."

"And they took that well," Liam asked, sceptical.

"It's my forest, they may be curious, but they don't want to start real trouble."

Zayn tugged on Louis' hand and pulled him down beside them, leaving berry juice all over Louis' skin. "Harry was just telling us about the humans who lived in his forest when he first got there."

Louis looked at Harry and smiled a softer version of the smirk he usually gave Liam. "What did you do to them?"

Harry laughed at that. "I made them leave. I wanted to do it for a long time, but didn't know how to scare them without giving myself away. Then they had a party by the river one night. That is where my nymph powers are the strongest." He shrugged. Liam heard Niall swallow. They all knew what nymphs could do to people and Harry didn't sound at all like he was sorry. "I only took one of them, the oldest. They all left not long after."

"Took him?" Niall asked.

Louis sat back and nodded, "Made him crazy."

But Harry frowned. "No, I just showed myself to him, but only him. That was enough."

"So you made everyone else think he was crazy?" Liam asked.

"No," Louis interrupted, "Harry, if you showed yourself to him, you know what that did to him, come on."

Harry looked away, embarrassed, but shrugged anyway, "Well, they left."

Liam wasn't sure he understood most of the conversation, but then, he wasn't sure he wanted to. Harry deserved some revenge, that was enough for him.

But Louis, always Louis, pushing and pushing. "Why do you hate humans so much anyway?" And Liam wanted to hit him. Just punch him in his constantly open mouth.

Harry stared at the berries he was still holding and didn't say anything and Liam gave up and crawled over to him. Liam was never the best at comfort, but Harry was a good teacher. He wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulder, pushed his face into Harry's hair and pressed a kiss there. Louis made a sad sound before he kneeled by Harry and took his hand. Liam ignored him.

After a while, Harry smiled. "It's been such a long time, but I never had to say it out loud and I don't know how to."

"You don't have to," Liam said and Louis gave him a sharp look but kept his mouth shut.

Harry turned his face into Liam's neck gratefully so he didn't catch Liam and Louis glaring at each other. It was time the two of them had a talk, alone.

-

When Harry was busy with Zayn and Niall, learning about jam and trying to make up berry puns, Liam decided to pull Louis to the side, out of their earshot.

"We need to talk," he simply said and pointed toward the trees. Louis rolled his eyes but followed which was more than Liam expected so he tried not to clench his fists. He ended up biting his lip so hard he flinched and made Louis snort.

The second he was sure they were too far for Harry's hearing, he turned to Louis and said the obvious, "You need to stop being a shit."

The permanent smirk dropped off Louis' face and he was glaring again. "Oh, should I keep quiet and hide forever so I don't make anyone talk to me by accident?"

"Is that supposed to be me?"

"‘You don't have to talk about it, Harry,' yes it's supposed to be you. How the fuck do you know what he needs to be talking about? Maybe he needs to let it out, maybe keeping it in and driving humans crazy with lust isn't the best way to cope with life's tragedies," he said in an angry whisper.

"If he doesn't want to talk about it…"

"Just because he hasn't so far, doesn't mean he doesn't want to now. Not everything in life needs to be easy."

"Yeah, thanks, I didn't know that," Liam said in the most sarcastic voice he had, which, granted, wasn't much. "Harry doesn't need your prodding and poking, okay, so leave him alone."

"Leave him alone? Are you serious? He's been alone for centuries, he needs to be prodded and poked in every meaning of those words."

"Is that all that matters to you, sex?" Liam was honestly starting to wonder.

"Are you hearing yourself? No, I didn't try to get Harry to tell me about the most horrible thing that ever happened to him so I could fuck him. I don't know if you noticed, but I'm doing a pretty good job on that without emotional distress."

"So what the hell do you want then!?" Liam finally raised his voice because Louis was _frustrating_.

"I want him to be okay!" Louis followed his lead.

"So you make him miserable? You're full of shit, you…"

"You know what, fuck you. I didn't make him miserable. I asked an honest question because I didn't know there even was a story behind it. But when someone looks that sad about a question, they are already miserable. And you hugging him and telling him it's okay to stay that way won't help him."

"You know that's not what I was saying and making him talk about it won't help either."

"It might! What is your problem here, it can't be just Harry, do _you_ have a tragic secret you want to tell me?" Louis asked angrily, taunting sarcastically, and Liam opened his mouth to tell him to go fuck himself but suddenly the only thing he could think about was how Niall had no idea his family was done playing games and wanted blood.

"Um," Louis said after the silence stretched on too long and Liam felt himself blush. He was done with the conversation and started going back to the cave, but Louis caught his arm and pulled him back with too much dragon strength. "Liam, you can tell me anything."

And Liam laughed so hard he scared some birds in a tree near them. "We're alone, Louis, you don't have to pretend. I know you hate me, but you can't have Niall without me. Sucks to be you, but I'm not gonna let you hurt any of them."

Louis was staring at him with his mouth open and Liam really wanted to go away but tiny dragon fingers were digging bruises into his arm. "You could not be more wrong," Louis finally said, in a kind of broken whisper that for some reason hurt Liam. "I see you with Zayn, how easily you touch him, how you became friends in a second, even though he lives with me. Because you think he's that much better than me. And you're not even wrong. I know I'm a lot, and I never wanted to be anyone but myself in my entire life, but I would change myself for you if I could. But I can't. So don't talk to me about hate when you're the one who thinks I'm gonna get you all killed the second I get bored."

Liam looked at him, at the sadness on his face and the tight curve of his shoulders. Louis let go of his arm and stepped back, suddenly embarrassed about his outburst and Liam could see the sarcastic cut coming. "My family wants to kill us," he said instead of waiting for Louis to speak. "I don't not trust _you_ , I don't trust the birds, or Harry's trees and some days I wake up and don't trust myself. I only just met you and I'm in your cave, because I trust you as much as I can."

Louis nodded and took a deep breath. "Are you sure? About your family?" he asked eventually.

"Yeah. I haven't told Niall yet, it's just, what difference would it make?" He shrugged and Louis sighed, sharpening his smile.

"That, there… it would make a difference to you. You wouldn't have to carry it all on your own big, ridiculous werewolf shoulders."

Liam tried to look at his shoulders, they weren't ridiculous, but Louis stopped his head with a finger to his cheek. "I want to promise you they'll never find you," he said.

But Liam knew better. "You can't do that."

"I know. But there's a lot of us now, right?" He looked so hopeful, like he was asking for a favour, not the opportunity to risk his life.

"That's what Niall said."

"Well, Niall is my favourite for a reason."

"I thought Zayn was your favourite?"

Louis shrugged. "You're all my favourite."

"You make no sense," Liam concluded and made Louis laugh.

When they came back to the cave, Niall and Zayn were laughing at Harry's jokes and Louis held Liam's hand like he never wanted to let go.

-

As if sensing that something had made him happy, and maybe it was actually that, his family reached out to him the next day. It started as a pain like being cut in his belly and thighs. He knew how it would go on, it was always the same, yet he was never prepared for it.

Only this time something was wrong. He'd been feeling it for a few days now. All the places in him that were normally connected to his family, that he had to control tightly so they couldn't find him, were starting to lose their pressure. Like maybe his family was finally letting go, but it made no sense because the one thing he still felt clearly was how much they hated him. It hurt in more ways than one. They were his family, he wanted to love them but it wasn't even a possibility any more.

They were all playing a game that Louis "invented" and Liam recognized as _hide and seek_ and he had been in a tree when the pain hit. When he jumped down he startled Louis, who started the "loser" chant before he saw Liam's face. "What's wrong?"

"My family," he answered without thinking, "I need Niall," but he was already running towards them. He stopped next to Liam and looked at him worriedly. "It's them," Liam said, "but I'm..."

"Standing," Niall finished and that was not where Liam was going but it was accurate. He should not have been able to stand.

Harry and Zayn were coming over too and everyone looked worried. Liam didn't know how to tell them the problem was that it didn't hurt enough. The next wave of pain crashed through his arms and they shook and felt numb but he could still move them. Niall got him to sit down and he told everyone to be quiet for a bit. He focused on the connection, through the pain to the pack, and realized he was only feeling his parents. His sisters and cousins and everyone else he once loved and then feared was gone.

"I can only feel my parents," he said, and Niall grabbed his hand. He had no idea what that meant. Did everyone else give up?

"That's good, right?" Harry asked.

"I think so?" Liam heard his voice shake as the pain ran through him. "Maybe they are finally letting go."

Louis hummed and sat a little bit closer, but no one except Niall tried to touch him, which he was for once grateful for. When the pain threw him down completely he liked having something to centre him, but right now it was just an irritation on all of his nerve endings and he didn't want anything touching him.

It didn't last nearly as long as it normally did and when he stopped shaking, still sweaty and pale from the pain, he was drawn into a long hug with everyone surrounding him on the wet grass.

He felt embarrassed, thinking Zayn and Louis would ask for explanations and he didn't want to be the loser whose family found a way to torture him long distance. He didn't want to be the weak link in their group. But hiding his face in Harry's hair made him feel better and everyone pressed to him eased the burn in his muscles.

Harry was kissing his shoulder and saying something comforting so Liam turned his face a little to kiss him properly. He heard Niall laughing quietly and reached out to pinch him, which in turn got Louis laughing at him because pinching was his signature move and Liam was clearly spending too much time with him.

Time passed and still no one asked anything. Zayn wouldn't, not like this, but when Louis stayed quiet Liam realized he was gonna have to stop expecting the worst from him.

A loud crack of thunder announced a new bout of rain but they didn't really feel like moving. The tree sheltered them partially and the grass was already wet. They stayed put, cuddled together and waited for Louis to make up a new word game.

It was far from the worst attack his family gave him.

-

Niall pulled him aside when they were walking back to the cave. They wanted to stay out of Louis' hearing range, but since they had no idea how wide it actually was, they were whispering anyway.

But first Niall drew him into the strongest hug he could and his smile when he stepped back was blinding.

"They are letting go," he said happily.

Liam wasn't convinced but he couldn't stop hoping. He kissed Niall instead of bringing him down with his doubts. "I hope so," he said into Niall's skin eventually, when he was leaving light marks down his neck. His pale skin showed every touch so Liam always tried to be gentle and Niall always pushed him to be rougher. He bit a little harder than usual, wanting Niall to be as happy as he could be, and got a choked happy sound from him. When he looked up Niall was laughing silently.

"You are ridiculous," Liam said and kissed him on the chin.

"You love me," Niall countered.

Liam kissed him against a tree to shut him up, but he couldn't stop him laughing.

-

Louis had to go out that night and would be away for a few days because he could only fly at night. He was trading across the continent and when he said Zayn was too scared to travel with him, Harry asked to come instead. Liam didn't feel too bad for not being able to go because he decided to take the opportunity to ask Zayn what he did all day long and maybe subtly find out what his own options were, if they decided to stay.

Zayn mainly took care of food - hunting _and_ gathering, Niall pointed out - and helped Louis find some unique plants they could trade. He also made sure their water source stayed clean which was an everyday job because small, thirsty animals kept falling into it.

Liam could see himself helping with all of those, but Zayn was already handling them fine, there was no place for him there. It worried him because he was growing to love these boys and didn't want to leave them, but doing nothing for the rest of his life could destroy him. As Niall and Zayn got into serious discussions about jam and berries, Liam found his unfinished bunny, half carved in a log, and started working on him again.

It had been about a year since the last time he did this, but he had seen the log that morning, a perfect shade of brown, and he had felt the itch in his nails like he had for years before. They were in the open, they were risking everything, there was no need to deny himself something so simple, he thought.

And it felt so good. His nails peeled the wood off quickly - he had tried using a knife a few times but it felt clumsy in his hand and he ended up cutting himself more than once before he gave up. Under his nails he could feel the wood, knew where it would be softest and where he would have to pull harder. He could use all of his nails at once to make an upturned, curious nose or twist three fingers carefully to build a fluffy tail. He would make eyes with his thumb and moustache with his forefinger. It had been a while, so it wasn't his best carving ever, but doing it felt so good, and knowing that he _could_ do it again made him smile until his cheeks hurt.

He showed Niall the carving when he and Zayn came to peer over his shoulder. Niall drew a finger over its head slowly, like he was petting it and Liam almost dropped it when the bunny wiggled its nose at them.

"What?" he looked at Niall, almost scared.

"It looks great," Niall just said, and Zayn laughed softly behind him.

**

** Zayn **

Normally when Louis was gone for so long, Zayn spent a lot of time alone in the cave. It was his time to recharge. They both knew Louis could sometimes be a bit too much for Zayn, and only partially because of Louis' energetic personality. Time spent apart did them both good. And after so many days of having everyone around him all the time, he genuinely needed to be alone. His brain felt like it was on fire; but he didn't know how to tell Liam and Niall he wanted to be alone without hurting their feelings or being incredibly rude, since he would be leaving them alone in a cave that wasn't theirs. Sure, he would stay close to keep an eye on them but it was an incredibly shitty thing to do. So he decided to stay with them the first night and find a way to bring it up the next day.

With just the three of them there, going to sleep was somehow more awkward. None of them seemed sure how far they wanted to go without Louis and Harry present, so Zayn's plan was to just go to sleep near the fire they had to build in the middle of the cave without Louis' body heat to keep them warm. They were talking and laughing and winding down from the day when Niall wrapped an arm around Liam's waist and leaned his head on Liam's shoulder. It was as innocent as a hug could be, but Zayn had noticed earlier that Niall had finally given up on trousers and seeing him naked somehow meant more than it had with anyone else.

Niall noticed him staring and he winked from under Liam's chin. Zayn was so used to Louis and their pushy sex life that dozens of thoughts came to his mind straight away and they were all orders. But he knew Niall wasn't like that with him, so he relaxed back into the ground and let the other two include him in any way they wanted to.

Liam still seemed pretty oblivious, lost in his own thoughts, when Niall nipped his chin and demanded attention. He threw a quick look at Zayn who tried to make himself look interested but not predatory. He probably failed, but fortunately Niall simply turned Liam's face where he wanted it and kissed him. It was a fast and brutal kiss before he started to move down, to Liam's chest and belly.

Zayn started feeling the heat in his body when Liam arched a bit and gasped Niall's name. Niall stopped dragging his teeth over Liam's skin and looked at Zayn. "Do you want to watch or join in?" he asked in a tone Zayn didn't know he was capable of. He thought about it, and he was actually pretty comfortable there, letting his cock fill slowly, watching them touch. "I'll watch."

"Kinky," Niall, who was about to have sex with his boyfriend in front of Zayn, said. Zayn didn't comment.

He wasn't sure if it was his presence or the life they had led so far, but there was something fast and superficial about their touching. They were lying so close to each other, there was barely any room for their arms between them. That could have been good in its own way but… Niall kissed Liam's neck and ran his fingers over his nipples and he was going for Liam's dick before Zayn even noticed goose bumps spreading down Liam's torso. He knew all of Louis' weak spots and would go for them with certainty but that wasn't what was happening here. Then he realized that quick and efficient was the only way they knew how to be together.

He wasn't sure if he should butt in, it clearly worked for them anyway, Liam was getting harder in Niall's hand, but he must have made some kind of noise while processing it because Niall paused and looked at him.

"You could," he hesitated, trying not to make it sound like an order or a critique, more his own desire, "play with his nipples a while longer."

Whatever he sounded like must have worked for Niall because he reached up and scraped a nail gently around Liam's nipple. It got harder and Liam took a breath that turned into a moan when Niall bent down to lick it.

Zayn decided to secretly ban both of them from touching each other's dicks until he was satisfied. Niall might have only taken orders from Louis, but he took carefully worded suggestions from Zayn just fine.

He didn't know how their bodies worked so he just explored along with them, telling Liam to tug on Niall's hair or squeeze his arse while Niall tested his teeth on Liam's nipples and belly, pressed his thumbs into Liam's hips, scraped his nails on the sensitive inside of Liam's thighs.

When they both turned a little he told Liam to get between Niall's legs and leave some marks there, thinking someone who liked to bite as much as Niall did might have been asking for something. The noises Niall made and how hard he clutched Liam's hair, ears and anything else he could reach confirmed his suspicions.

They were both hard and dripping by that point, but they avoided each other's dicks, only pressing on their own to calm down sometimes.

Liam was just leaving a mark high on Niall's thigh, nudging Niall's balls with his cheek, when Zayn decided he wanted to see more.

"How do you both feel about going lower?"

Liam looked at him, uncertain, but Niall nodded, beautiful with splotchy red cheeks and sweat on his chest and said he wanted to try.

"You need to be cleaner for anything thorough," Zayn told Liam, and Niall nodded. "I have an oil that helps with that but that's for another time. But you can still try for a bit, if you want."

Niall wanted.

The ground in the cave was soft, mostly sand and moss, but it wasn't good for the knees, Zayn knew, so he told Liam to lie on his back and just spread his legs. Niall was tentative about trying but once his tongue slipped behind Liam's balls and his face pressed there, Liam shouted a noise that shook the whole cave. Zayn laughed, delighted, and Niall pressed his face closer. Niall went further than Zayn would have, opening Liam's cheeks and licking at the clean skin, prompted by Liam losing all control and partially switching, his fingers now claws and his voice just a deep growl.

Zayn grabbed his own dick, trying to stop himself from coming though he wasn't sure if touching made it better or worse. Looking at Liam's cock twitching desperately on his belly and drooling precome definitely didn't help, but he couldn't stop switching between looking from that to Liam's desperate face.

Liam came like that, his hands unable to go around his dick, trying to ride Niall's face. He came in long spurts with broken shouts and Niall didn't stop licking until Liam started to sound like he was crying.

His face had turned back, his teeth not as dangerous now, and when Niall pulled back up and started stroking his dick, Zayn told him to stop and come in Liam's mouth instead. It was definitely an order this time, but Niall didn't care anymore. Liam just relaxed back on the ground and opened his mouth wide, waiting.

"Don't come yet," Niall told Zayn just before his voice broke and he spilled straight into Liam's waiting mouth, shaking and barely able to stay upright.

When he was done shaking, Liam had already swallowed his come and was licking his lips, sleepy but still waiting. They both turned to him, then, and he felt overwhelmed under those sharp looks. Niall was still leaning on his hands over Liam's head. He looked at Zayn sharply, with focus, and Zayn wondered for a moment if he had crossed any lines. Then he felt something warm and maybe a little wet come over his cock. He flinched and looked down but there was nothing there. He looked at Niall, shocked but getting even harder than he had been before and got a smirk in reply.

The warmth came around his entire cock and down to his balls, squeezing just a little before it moved, like a fist, but still wet and warm like a mouth. He was confused and terrified and ready to come in a moment. It was an almost tickling light pressure behind his balls that had him shouting and coming into thin air, the pressure around his cock continuing until he was empty and as shaken as Niall.

"Pan's balls."

"Yep," Niall said, sounding smug. Zayn couldn't blame him.

He couldn't really move to clean himself up, so he hoped Niall had a way to take care of that too, but he didn't much care. When Liam rolled over next to him, and Niall crawled behind, Zayn was definitely ready for sleep.

"I've never had a cut one before," Liam said.

"Oh," was as much as Zayn could do at the moment.

"I'm gonna have to pay it some attention next time."

Niall giggled and kissed behind Zayn's ear. "Thank you, that was amazing," he said.

Zayn nodded. "Thank _you_ ," he said, because yeah, it really was.

He somehow fell asleep smiling into Liam's shoulder and holding Niall's hand.

-

Zayn started the next morning early, leaving Liam and Niall to sleep while he stole some time alone and thought about how to let them know he needed even more. He took the basket with him just in case, there were always mushrooms for Niall and berries for Louis he could find, even if he was trying to avoid everyone for a while.

The poisonous berries Louis loved grew everywhere with no protection because no one except dragons ate them. It was pretty similar with what Zayn noticed were Niall's favourite mushrooms. He usually used fallen leaves to pick them up because he didn't want to risk getting poisoned just by touching them. The sphinx made him learn a lot about different plants, but he could never quite get the mushrooms right. He stopped for a moment and closed his eyes, trying to stop the irrational fear and memories from returning, by thinking about Louis and how much he loved him and the new friends _and more_ that they'd made. He had a new life now, the past didn't matter.

He swallowed and took a deep breath before he opened his eyes and saw a ginger leprechaun staring at him. He jumped, cursed and lost half the berries and mushrooms he'd just picked when he dropped the basket on the ground.

"Shit! Ed, you scared me!" he told the leprechaun who didn't seem all that bothered. Zayn knew what was coming next and he wanted to pinch Louis. He knew the dragon had done something. He wasn't sure what; but Ed's presence here meant Liam was gonna get _angry_. Probably, Zayn thought, rightfully so.

"Sorry," Ed said with a smirk, "I have some news about your refugees though and I don't feel like chasing Louis around the world."

"So he told you," Zayn said, resigned.

"Yeah, but you know I'm not gonna share."

"That's not the point, it wasn't his story to tell."

"Probably, but I wouldn't have cared about the news I have if he hadn't told me, so maybe cut him some slack."

It wasn't about how Zayn felt though, it was about trust and Louis always doing what he thought was best, without considering what it would do to him. He was already attached to these boys. Losing Liam's, and then Niall's, trust would hurt him too much, even if he wouldn't admit it.

He didn't say anything about that though, just picked up his dropped food and told Ed to continue.

"I've been hearing for a while now that the leprechaun's parents were changing their search, that they just wanted to know that he was alive and alright. So I poked around to see if that was true. Turns out, it's that and more. They aren't even looking for an apology, they are looking to apologize.

"The werewolves though," he shook his head, "they are relentless. And they see the leprechauns backing off as a sign of their weakness so I'm not sure how that's gonna end. Both families have a lot of support in the forest. Hopefully, this won't escalate."

Zayn wasn't sure if he heard a note of warning in Ed's voice but it felt like it. He knew Louis and Ed went back a long way and their mutual loyalty was indestructible, but he wasn't sure what Ed would do if the wellbeing of the entire forest was on the line. He nodded in thanks and didn't ask any further questions. Ed disappeared just like he came, fast and silent.

-

Zayn hated the situation he was placed in. Lying to his friends for days until Louis came back wasn't something he wanted to do, but risking Liam and Niall leaving was too much. It gave him an extra incentive to take a few days to himself.

Explaining his need to be alone to Niall and Liam was awkward but when he finished, they looked at each other in a way that reminded him they hadn't had a moment to themselves since Louis and he broke into their lives and probably turned everything upside down. And that easily, it was done. He would sleep under a tree close to the cave but turned in a way that isolated him. They offered to let him stay in the cave but he wanted a bit of freedom anyway. So Niall built him a little roof instead, to better protect him from the rain.

One of the passages in the cave led to a room that held Zayn's things. There wasn't a lot of it, some mementos from his family, his art supplies and books and comics that Louis kept getting for him in the trades. The one thing he had left from his time with the sphinx was his love of books, and he refused to lose it because of that thing.

Niall's little roof worked perfectly and Zayn felt comfortable in the grass with his art and his books. He had some books about Pakistan, in several languages, he had comics from America and Korea, some of which he had promised to let Liam read too, and he had books about pirates and knights, all twisted wrong history but wonderful characters. Louis usually burned the books that had dragons as villains waiting to be slayed by the brave hero.

But sometimes all he wanted was a classic, so he opened Sivagamiyin Sabatham, volume 3, and forgot about his reality for a while.

It was a slow read because he was never good at Tamil, but he genuinely liked the books so he refused to give up.

At one point the letters started blurring and his head got heavier. He yawned and leaned his cheek on the book, letting his eyes close as the warm breeze kept him comfortable.

He woke up gasping a word in Tamil.

The sphinx had hated his inability to learn or sometimes just learn fast enough. It especially loved languages and wanted him to learn as many as possible; and failing to do so ended in beatings and constant repetition. When it hit him, it did so in anger and carelessly, anywhere, with heavy paws and sharp claws, leaving bruises and scars that it would later heal to remove all reminders of his failure.

But often the sphinx had him reading out loud from books in languages Zayn hadn't known existed and every word he mispronounced he had to repeat until his throat went raw. When his nightmares were about that, like this time, he woke up pronouncing words desperately.

He was expected to learn other things too, like mathematics, arts and geography. He wasn't great at most of those but since the sphinx wasn't as passionate about them, it only made him do it over and over until he got it right.

One thing he was really good at and loved learning about, was art. He tried to hide it but the sphinx always knew everything and when it realized that Zayn loved something, it could use it against him. It would often take away his art books or tie up his hands so he couldn't use them. But a few times, in frustration, it broke Zayn's wrists and sometimes after a nightmare Zayn found himself rubbing the phantom pain out of them.

But once the languages and mathematics and everything else was done, he was given classics to read. The sphinx would leave him alone with books, "to experience the written world" and he could read as many as he wanted to, escape from where he was into invisible freedom.

Once he was actually free, after he settled down with Louis and started making choices that weren't based on pure desperation, it took him a while to realize he was missing books. He thought they would be something he hated with a passion and wanted to forget about forever, like brown desert sand, cold nights and the smell of wet animal hair. Instead, he found himself wishing to finish the book he had started just before he escaped, wanting to know if the heroine of that book found her freedom too. So Louis got it for him and then just kept on bringing more.

Closing the book he fell asleep on, Zayn shook himself. He hadn't slept for long but all of his muscles were stiff so he decided to take a walk and let himself wake up properly. He was itching to start drawing but he wanted to wait a while longer, until his head was clear. He knew what he wanted to create and he didn't want it tainted by his past.


	3. Chapter 3

** Louis **

Louis was following the sunset slowly, warmed by the feeling of Harry's comfortable weight on his back. There were two bags full of spikenard and salal hanging on his sides. He would trade them for other herbs and some knowledge, which he could then trade on.

Louis loved trading for two reasons. One, every now and then he would find something he wanted for himself or Zayn. Be it food, a book, some information or a game. Something that made him happy. Two, trading was basically giving people what they wanted. It didn't make anyone love him, but it got him grudging respect and communication, which he liked too.

They had one more stop to make before they could go home, and since Louis had known the irshi he was trading with for years, he was pretty sure she would let them spend the day in her forest. Harry would like that. Talish mountain forests weren't that different from their own but the creatures that lived in them were Louis' favourite, even if he never managed to quite make friends with them.

They landed in the Lerik forest well into the night and as soon as Harry climbed off and Louis changed, a soft light started spreading around them. He smiled at Naiba, the irshi, and bowed his head to her quickly. All irshi were beautiful, but he loved her the most. Her skin and hair were dark and her eyebrows thick. She laughed with her head thrown back and lips wide and looked at him like she knew more about him than he did. It was probably true, ishi always knew more.

Next to him Harry bowed his head too, but then looked at her from below his eyelashes and flashed a dimple and Louis just knew she would love him. Loving Harry was inevitable.

"You are beautiful," he said shamelessly, and she beamed at him and told him he was too.

Louis agreed with them both and he rolled his eyes to stop himself from saying it out loud.

And then Harry, who had been nothing but polite and quiet around all the other traders, said to Naiba, "He thinks we're beautiful too, he's just too shy to admit it."

Louis spluttered because he was not _shy_! But Naiba was already laughing and Harry was staring at her with the same feeling that Louis felt every time she did it, so he couldn't even be angry because Harry wasn't wrong. He was just giving away secrets; Louis still had to trade with her. Louis elbowed him but all he got was a smile from Harry too and it was all a little too much.

They sat on the ground nearby and Harry did actually stay silent during the trade. Most herbs Louis traded were going to healer witches and the rest he chose not to know about.

They didn't get anything worth passing on this time, but he got pistachios for Zayn, pomegranate tree seeds for Harry who smiled and leaned into him a bit when he got them, and local mushrooms for Niall. He wasn't sure what to get Liam except for the truth about his family bond that he owed him, so he just ignored it for the time being.

The irshi also allowed them to stay until the next nightfall. She showed them where they could sleep and which way the river was and said she would come for a visit during the day. Then she and Harry shared a quick hug before she left and Louis was left glancing between Harry's content face and her retreating form, contemplating his life. It was a horrible one.

-

They were walking towards the river, tripping in the darkness but unwilling to risk a fire in someone else's forest.

Louis was trying not to be a complete shithead so he was keeping his mouth shut. Harry obviously noticed but if he didn't ask, Louis wouldn't have to answer. He knew it was wrong, that was the _problem_ with living creatures. They weren't objects you could own and keep in your cave and then growl at anyone who tried to touch them.

He was wrong and there was no point dragging Harry into it. Except, of course, the nymph couldn't just let him seethe surreptitiously.

"What's wrong?" Harry simply asked.

Louis shook his head before he remembered Harry probably couldn't see him. "It's nothing, I'm being a stupid dragon."

"Are you jealous?" He could hear the frown in Harry's voice.

"No. Maybe. What does it matter?"

He felt Harry's hand touch his elbow in the dark and move down to twine their fingers together. "She's really nice, you can tell with some creatures," Harry said, like he was sharing wisdom, "but she's not you."

She was amazing, Louis knew. "I know, Harry, it's not rational." He wanted to be snippy and defensive but he was too tired to hide how he really felt. Which was whiny and abandoned. Whiny was probably a feeling.

"Hey." Harry tugged on his hand. They paused in the dark and Harry almost fell moving closer to him for a kiss. Louis melted into it. He didn't even know he needed it. Harry tasted so familiar even after such a short time together that kissing him felt like being home.

He smiled when they finally separated. He understood Harry was trying to tell him he was choosing Louis. But it was just his choice right now. He didn't know Louis wanted him to choose him forever. Because he wasn't a dragon-object and living creatures could never promise a forever. But it would do for now, he thought.

They tried walking while holding hands but Harry kept tripping so they had to let go. They couldn't stop giggling about it though.

Louis felt the cool breeze from the river and was about to rush to jump in when he smelled something good. Like Harry, but stronger and everywhere around him, making his head buzz and his cock start filling up without warning.

"Oh shit, shit shit!" Harry yelled, but despite his words his voice sounded sweet and inviting. Louis heard a crash and turned towards him but Harry shouted at him to look away, still in that voice. Louis froze when he remembered. He brought a fucking nymph to the river with him in the middle of the night.

"Shit," he said.

"I'm gonna go back," Harry started, and honestly Louis wished he would stop talking because his voice and his smell were all he could think about and he wanted to be _closer_. So he moved closer.

"Stay!" Harry ordered.

Louis felt the whine in his throat but did as his nymph wanted. His nymph, shit, shit he wanted him. His fingers clenched.

"Why can't we do this?" he asked Harry.

"You know why. I have to…"

"I can't see you. I'll keep my eyes closed, but it's not like I don't always want you. This is just… so much more. I can feel you under my skin." It was the only way he knew how to explain the feeling. Harry's smell was stuck to his throat and tongue, he felt like he was already tasting him, and every time he spoke it resonated through Louis' whole body. It was so much more than usual, but it wasn't _different_.

"Louis."

He wasn't sure what Harry wanted to say but his name in that voice had him gripping his cock because it _hurt_ from how hard it was getting so fast. He was such a possessive bastard. He really needed to stop that.

"You can say no. I'm not dying here or anything," he said in what he was sure was a reasonable voice and not a broken whine, "but I'm saying, I want you anyway, you're not seducing me against my will."

"And Zayn?"

Louis laughed. "He'll want to hear all about it for sure."

Harry laughed too and this time Louis just went to his knees because he couldn't hold himself up any more.

They were at the last row of trees before the river and the moonlight reflecting on the water lit everything up so much that he could see Harry if he came just a little closer. But Harry told him to close his eyes so he did.

Harry's fingers in his hair felt like cool water on a hot summer's day. He arched into it and opened his mouth to inhale. There just wasn't enough air.

"What do you want?" Harry asked.

The problem was, Louis realized, Harry's magic was going to make him tell the truth. He hadn't known that would happen and didn't want it to. He wanted to ease Harry into what Louis was really like, but the magic was doing its thing, twisting him on the inside until he had to answer.

"I want you." He swallowed, trying to generalize it at least, but, "I want you to suck me and not let me come, I want you to hold me down and tell me what to do, I want you to let me hurt you, oh shit, I don't know why, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you just smile so beautifully when I hurt you, I want you…" _to break me and let me break you_ , he was gonna say, but Harry's fingers on his lips stopped him. He sucked them in quickly, giving himself time to sort his head out and stop the tears that had pooled in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled, his other hand caressing Louis' nape, "I keep forgetting how this works, it's been a long time."

Louis understood, but it was too late for his secrets now and Harry would probably tell him to fuck off which wasn't _fair_ , Louis had been perfectly fine with lying about it forever, or at least a bit longer, until he could figure out Harry's limits on his own.

Harry's fingers were still inside his mouth so he could feel Harry going down to his knees next to him. Keeping his eyes closed was harder than he'd thought it would be. He wanted to see what the nymph was thinking; was he horrified? Was he interested?

"Would you just say something!?" he finally mumbled around long fingers.

Harry giggled and Louis remembered why he was in this position when the sound cut off his breath. The fingers left his mouth and he flinched when something touched his face instead. But it turned out to be Harry's hair as he moved close enough for his lips to press against Louis' cheek.

"Do you want to tell me how you want to hurt me?"

It was curious and whispered dirty and Louis could feel his cock twitch at it. The question was phrased politely but Louis knew now Harry wasn't running away.

"Yes, yes, please." He tilted his head so he could nuzzle against Harry's cheek and he sighed deeply when Harry let him.

"Tell me."

It wasn't polite this time, it was an order even without the compelling magic and Louis let himself go with it.

"I want to bite you. So hard the marks stay for days. Not big, red bruises but my teeth marks, deep and clear. And not where your skin is thick either, but where it's thin and sensitive, on your wrists and your back and," oh he forgot, he tried to swallow the words back down but it was too late, "on your dick, shit shit I'm so fucked up, I'm sorry, we don't have to…"

This time Harry stopped him with a kiss that sent thunder down his entire body and he came the moment Harry's tongue broke between his lips. He let Harry suck on his tongue hungrily while he spilled between them, the pain in his balls making him sob into Harry's mouth.

It felt less like being struck by lightning after that, the kissing. It was still more intense than anything he had ever felt before, but it was like his body absorbed the energy of it and learned how to cope with it. He knew, because Harry just kept on kissing him, completely ignoring Louis' come sliding down his thighs and the frankly embarrassing sounds ripping from Louis' throat.

When Harry finally moved away, Louis lost his balance and had to hold himself up by his arms as he took deep breaths and let the chilly night calm him down.

Harry cradled his head with a hand and tugged a bit, making him move closer, still on his hands and knees. Then he did it again, and again and again until Louis found himself crawling after him on the damp ground with his eyes closed.

When Harry'd had enough, or when he found what he was looking for - Louis wasn't sure but the ground seemed softer where they were now - he let Louis go and told him to wait.

He heard Harry shuffling around and again wished he could open his eyes and see what was happening. Then the smell that started all of this, Harry's scent, got even stronger and he was pulled face first into warm skin. He felt hairs under his lips and thought it must be Harry's belly, right above his cock, but he wasn't sure.

"You can start biting there, make your way straight up," Harry said simply and Louis shivered and then cursed because he still had to keep his eyes closed. He wanted to see the marks and Harry's face as he made them. But he would enjoy this too.

He bit hard, right where his lips were resting, soft skin and prickly hair and he was rewarded with a gasp and Harry's fingers clenching in his hair. For a few moments it was just that, his teeth and skin and Harry guiding him with his hand and his moans.

"That feels so good," Harry moaned, "and looks even better, they'll be there tomorrow for everyone to see."

Louis couldn't stop shaking now. He was getting hard again and he was barely being touched at all.

When he went high enough, he felt Harry's nipple under his teeth. He had placed them blindly so his lower teeth were on the tip and he was going to readjust when Harry pulled him closer. He bit, and kept on clenching his teeth until Harry cried out and told him to stop.

"Please, please let me see, I'll just glance for a moment, I swear." Louis was desperate, but Harry covered his eyes with his free hand and told him to be quiet and lie on his back. So he did both, with only slight resentment. Those were his marks, he had the right to see them.

Then he felt Harry kneel over his head and he forgot everything in his need to taste him more.

Harry rolled his balls over Louis' face for a moment and Louis let himself lick over them, curious and hard and needy.

Quick fingers turned his face so his lips were on the inside of Harry's thigh, where Louis' own come from earlier was drying, and ordered him to bite again. The skin there was so soft Louis was scared he would break it. But when he tried being gentle, Harry pinched his nose closed and told him to do it like he meant it. So he did.

Harry was rocking himself over Louis' head, his balls still occasionally touching Louis and he was sure Harry was slowly wanking.

He desperately wanted to reach down and touch his own dick but his arms were trapped under Harry's legs. He tried to move them to a more comfortable position but Harry noticed and moved away until he could hold them up. He turned around and lowered himself down on Louis' face again, then put Louis' hands on his nipples.

"You can play with those if you need to do something else," he said simply and Louis hated how in control he sounded so he pinched both his nipples hard, until his breath broke again.

He continued biting a path up Harry's inner thigh until his face was pressed between Harry's balls and his thigh, teeth sharp right where the skin was softest. He dug in there like he had on the nipple, relentless and waiting for Harry to stop him.

Harry pulled his hands away first, then flinched hard and finally told him to stop. His voice was still the nymph magic but now it was also breathless and sex broken and Louis felt like a flower opening to the sun after months of hard winter every time it washed over him. It was ridiculous and magic and he loved it.

Fingers grabbed his hair tight and tilted his head up.

"I'm gonna go deep into your throat," Harry said, "and when you can't breathe any more, _really_ can't, I want you to bite me. Are you okay with that?"

Harry tried not to make it a magical order but it didn't need to be, Louis wanted it more than he wanted to come.

So he said yes and Harry told him to slap his arm twice if he needed to stop and then he felt Harry's wet head against his lips. He licked at it, needy, and he was left to taste until he was ready for more.

Harry came into his mouth slow but relentless, not caring when Louis gagged a little or when he hit the throat or when Louis' breathing clearly stopped.

He took a few pulls through the nose but soon that wasn't working either as his nose was pressed into Harry's balls. He waited for as long as he could and then bit the root, gently. Harry didn't move. So he bit harder and harder, starting to panic a little, for himself and for Harry and just as he was about to slap Harry's arm, strong fingers pried his jaw open and he could breathe again. He started crying at some point during that, he wasn't sure if it was before or after he was released.

Then Harry was inside his mouth again, repeating the whole process.

He did it four more times before he pulled out completely and slapped Louis' cheek with his wet cock.

"You shouldn't be swallowing my precome," Harry said, "but you're a dragon, so I think you'll be okay. I don't think it would be good if I let you swallow my come now though. Some time when we're not on the river. You can bite my balls now until I come."

Louis' knees went up when his dick twitched so hard he thought he was coming again. Harry was too much.

He opened his mouth wide and let Harry push his sack inside where he could bite at the loose skin while Harry jerked off quickly. He didn't watch his teeth at all this time, just bit harder and harder until Harry grunted and then came without any other noise, bending over and clutching clumsily at Louis' hips.

Louis let him breathe for a few moments but his own dick was so hard he couldn't afford to be polite.

He scratched Harry's thigh and got a soft murmur in reply.

"I caught my come in my hand," Harry said, calmly. "I never jerked anyone off with it before, but I can't imagine it would be bad."

Louis wasn't even trying to stop the whiny sound he was constantly making now. He just nodded and spread his legs wider, hoping Harry would get it.

Apparently he did because he got up from over Louis' face and knelt between his spread legs instead.

"You're really beautiful," he heard, and then fire, or ice, Louis couldn't tell, enveloped his cock, pulled on his insides. First he thought it was pain but then he realized it was so much pleasure his body didn't know what to do with it. His entire body arched and twitched brokenly until he was sure he wasn't touching ground at all anymore. The dragon fire inside him came alive and a wild roar ripped from his throat. He started coming, but his orgasm was everywhere and it wasn't stopping, his legs wrapped around Harry's shoulders and fists tugging on Harry's hair begging him to never stop even though he wasn't sure he could survive much more of it. He blacked out for a bit and when he came to, Harry was covering his eyes with one hand, licking his soft dick and calling him sweetheart and lovely.

He moaned and tugged on Harry's hair one more time. The nymph crawled over him and kissed his cheek. "I licked the come off of your dick, it might have been a bit much, sorry."

Louis couldn't even laugh. He hid his crying, snotty face in Harry's hair and tried to breathe. "I don't know how I'll ever forgive you, honestly."

-

He woke up once in the river, a hand still over his eyes and another cleaning him gently, but he was still too exhausted to really do anything and Harry just kissed his cheek and whispered at him to go back to sleep.

The next time he opened his eyes, there was light over him and a Harry wrapped around him. He looked down at the sleepy face, only now aware of how much he'd missed seeing it last night. He was sleepily wondering if it would be awkward once Harry woke up, when he actually _remembered_ last night. He untangled himself from Harry's long limbs, ignoring the grumpy protests and swallowed thickly before turning Harry on his back.

The marks were bright red, trailing from Harry's groin up to his nipple. And fuck, the one over his nipple was stark. It looked to be scabbing a bit although Louis couldn't remember tasting blood.

He knew he was supposed to feel horrible but those were his marks on Harry's body, they hurt when they were made and they would hurt all the way until they healed completely and then maybe Harry would let him make more.

He moved Harry's leg to the side, opened it up, trailed the bruises there with his shaking finger until he got to Harry's cock. He pushed the hair down with his thumb and choked when he saw the marks there.

He thought it would turn him on, seeing it all, but all he felt was possessive pride and love. He looked up just enough to see that Harry was awake and paying attention before he leaned in and kissed the root of his cock, the bright, red bruise at the groin, the scabbed teeth mark over his nipple. Harry pulled him up until their lips met.

"You're beautiful," Louis couldn't help saying. It got Harry to smile and blush a little. "Ridiculous boy."

"Hey." Harry frowned at him.

"How are you still blushing, you made me crawl after you last night."

Harry covered his face with his arm and mumbled something to himself.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you with your _arm_ covering your face," Louis mocked.

"Shut up, it's different when I'm like that."

"Hmm." Louis needed more time to think about that but, "It's still you though, right?"

Harry's gigantic hands cradled his face and he looked very serious. "Yeah, it's still me."

Louis fell with his head on Harry's shoulder, looking down at the marks discreetly and letting Harry sleep a bit longer. He loved this ridiculous nymph.

**

** Harry **

Harry had honestly thought he was done with traveling, but flying on a dragon's back and not being alone made all the difference. He found himself genuinely enjoying meeting new creatures, joking with them and befriending them easily. While Louis traded he could take time to look around, explore the new places a little. He had travelled a lot in his time, but every new place was unique, all the plants spoke in different sounds and feelings. They were all curious about him and asked a lot of questions, but they also loved sharing gossip so while Louis got his information trading, Harry found all the really fun stuff, like who was in love with whom and who got high on sunflower pollen and accidentally peed on a satyr's home. Harry hated satyrs so he loved hearing about that. But he also learned important things about their hosts, whether they were cruel or kind, loved or hated. He knew Louis traded with everyone regardless but it made a difference to him.

The moment they landed in Naiba's forest he could _feel_ how happy all the plants there were. He didn't even need to touch them to know they all felt like they had a purpose and were cherished.

He did spend the morning talking to them though. They communicated in a way that was a bit hard for him to understand but they were very patient. He assumed the irshi was their main caretaker and they did things a bit differently from nymphs. Harry didn't know a lot about irshi, but the trees told him about Naiba, probably more than she would have liked him to know.

Harry knew, because he'd heard somewhere a long time ago, like most things he knew, that irshi were protectors to the local human royalty, but he wasn't sure what that meant in a world where there were fewer and fewer human royals. When he asked he got a long winded tale about romance and what he thought was a human and … monsters? He couldn't understand it all but the trees were too excited to slow it down for him, so eventually he just decided to ask Naiba.

Louis was politely quiet - well, he wasn't speaking directly to Harry, he spoke an awful lot out loud, apparently to himself - while Harry was talking to the trees, but the moment he turned around and paid Louis attention he was swept up in Louis' whirlpool.

"You done gossiping with the greenies, then?"

Harry nodded and wanted to smile because he liked the expression, the greenies, but Louis' voice was a bit sharper than usual.

"That's good. Got all the secrets I guess. We should start using those to get things, just give up on trading and start a blackmailing business…"

Something was off and Harry wasn't sure if it was his fault or if Louis got lost in his own head. He always liked to tease but there was a cruelness behind it now that worried Harry.

The sex last night was intense and Harry knew he was sometimes too pushy as a nymph - he had a lot of power that he didn't often use so he tended to forget himself. Like he forgot that Louis would be compelled to answer him honestly. That was probably just the start. He'd made him crawl later, and he had no idea what that last orgasm was like, just that it looked like it hurt. So he clearly messed up on so many levels, but finding out what exactly, if not all of it, Louis was upset about would be hard, if Louis continued hiding behind his monologue.

"I like normal sex," Harry interrupted since Louis was planning world domination through plant subterfuge and it really didn't sound as important as not destroying their friendship.

Louis stopped talking but looked away and Harry had to push on. "We don't ever have to do anything like that again. I'm sorry I forgot about my powers. And I made you crawl. And hurt. I know that was like, the opposite of what you wanted."

Louis did look at him then, a bit wild-eyed and confused. "It was pretty much everything I wanted. All of it. It was perfect. For me. But I know… I shouldn't want to hurt you." Louis was crushing the fingers of his hand with the other now and Harry winced in sympathy. "It's a dragon thing and I don't, I mean, I want it, but I know I shouldn't. I'm working on it, okay? So I wanted you to know I'm sorry. I'll try to… not."

"But I like it when you hurt me," Harry said, completely honest. Pain lasted longer than orgasms, all of his bruises were still throbbing, it was wonderful, he kept wanting to touch them. He realized he was thumbing the bruised nipple when he noticed Louis staring at it, licking his lips.

"You do?"

"It feels really good. I thought you were upset because you didn't like it."

Louis laughed brokenly. "No, no that was definitely not the problem."

Harry tilted his head and kept on playing with his nipple, watching Louis get more restless with every pass of his thumb. "You should come here and lick your marks then."

Louis cast a quick, startled look at his face, as if checking that he wasn't being mocked, and when he saw Harry was honest he came over, dropped to his knees, and did as he was told.

-

When Naiba saw his bruises she laughed softly and nodded at Louis. The dragon blushed and looked away but stuck close to Harry.

She came with a group of about ten other forest spirits, mostly meshe adams but a few abadas too. They were a happy, colourful bunch and Harry loved just being around them, feeling their magic mingle with his. They brought food and drink and even though it was still early in the day they got pleasantly rowdy in no time. Harry noticed Louis keeping a bit of distance but enjoying himself, so he took some time to talk to the irshi, curious about the trees' gossip and her life in general.

They sat on the ground a bit away from the loud, happy group, but close enough to see them and laugh at them if needed.

"Don't be angry with them, but the trees tried to tell me some things about you. Well, I was curious so I asked but then I couldn't understand much, would you mind if I just asked you instead?"

Naiba didn't look unhappy but she took a while to reply. "I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours," she finally said.

Harry looked over at Louis and found him in a sort of competition with a very blue abada, his green beard partially on fire but his face split in a delighted smile. Harry couldn't see any of it ending well so he looked back at Naiba. "I don't know if I can, is the thing," Harry said. "I've never told anyone."

She nodded. "Alright, I understand that. Ask me your questions then."

"I know you don't have princesses and princes to protect anymore, so I wondered who your loyalties lie with now?"

She laughed. "Ah, I understand why you warned me about my trees, then. They do talk too much."

"I'm sorry," Harry started, but she bumped his arm with her shoulder to stop him. "No, it's alright, it's not a secret, they just must like you a lot to try to answer that. I'm not really sure they understand everything that's happened, to be honest. I don't see how they could."

Harry knew what she meant, sometimes a tree experienced things differently than most creatures. It made sense, Harry knew, because they tended to lead pretty isolated lives.

"I think we're about the same age," Naiba said, looking at Harry and he agreed; their magic buzzed when they were close by, as if happy to meet an old friend. There weren't many creatures of old magic left and certainly not many who would be considered friendly.

"So it is true that a long time ago I had kings and queens to guard. Sometimes human, but they were rarely worthy of my protection. I mostly guarded whoever thought they owned the forest at the time." She sighed. "It's my nature and my instinct, but they were often unworthy of protection, they cared for the forest poorly and brought on enemies out of spite and tender egos, knowing they had me to keep them safe. So after the last king died… I protected the forest instead."

She looked at Harry as if waiting for his judgement. He just nodded. Forest should always come first in his opinion anyway.

She smiled, a bit more relaxed now and continued. "For a long time this forest became a refuge of sorts for all kinds of spirits. The villages we are surrounded by have always been respectful to us and we have lived in peace."

She blushed then, and Harry tilted his head, curious. "I met someone, recently. A human girl. Well, a woman. She has children of her own, but they have already grown and left and she spends a lot of time in the forest. She saw me," Naiba hid her face in her knees, "because I couldn't stop staring at her."

Harry laughed out loud and she punched his thigh in retaliation.

"She's so beautiful, Harry, you don't know. And I don't mean her face, though that too, but she talks to the trees, in her human way, and she tells them stories from her life and you can tell, from them, how beautiful she is. She sings sometimes, and it's horrible, no one should have to listen to that, but I just want to kiss her to make her stop." She blushed again. "She kissed me first. She never left blood marks on me though, maybe we should try that."

There was a smirk on her face and Harry was the one blushing when he understood her quick digression. He looked over at Louis again and this time saw him talking to a horned woman with a dark green bushy beard. "He's a dragon," Harry simply said, and Naiba hummed like that only explained part of it.

"So is she yours now?"

Naiba shrugged. "I am hers. You asked me who I protect now. This forest and her."

Harry took her hand because she sounded sad and she shouldn't be. "But that's good."

"She's human," Naiba said again, "How long do we live, Harry? How many human births and deaths in our lifetime? She is half way through her life, now. I know I'm supposed to be happy in this moment but it's so short. I don't want to look for someone else once she's gone."

Her voice was so sad Harry just kept holding her hand tight through it. He couldn't imagine knowing that Louis, Niall, Liam or Zayn would be gone in a few years. They were all long-living creatures and he'd never before considered being grateful for it.

"We talked about it, a lot," Naiba continued. "She still sees her children often, but maybe, some day, she could join me in the forest. She could be turned, you know." She whispered this, like it was a dirty secret, and it was in a way. Born creatures, especially creatures of old magic, only had one use for turned humans and it wasn't one talked about in public. But Harry thought love was surely a better reason.

"That sounds like a good plan, actually."

"You think?" she asked, worried.

"It's your forest, no one can tell you what to do." He knew what he was talking about.

It got him a bright smile this time. "That is true. Finding the right creature to do it will be hard though. Neither of us wants her turned into serpents or going crazy, so it limits us greatly."

Harry just wanted to comfort her, but going through his list of creatures he knew could turn humans safely he finally reached werewolves and couldn't help but think of Liam. Would he mind doing something like that? Should he even tell her? If werewolves were off their list then there was no point in even asking Liam, so he finally asked if they had considered them.

"Yes, in some way, that would be most practical. She wouldn't have to stop seeing her children because her human form would still look the same to them, she would be strong and able to protect herself in the forest and she would live so much longer. But bond and control are a big problem. When a werewolf bites a human, a bond is formed. We would have to find a werewolf who we could trust to let go of that bond when the time came. And we would need them, or another werewolf, to teach her control."

"We have a werewolf." Harry couldn't stop himself. "I could talk to him. Ask him. If not turn her, maybe he can teach her, at least? He is very nice and gentle and wouldn't trap her, I'm sure. Can I?"

She looked at him with wide eyes, he was possibly a bit too excited, but then she laughed delightedly and agreed. "Yes, ask him, I will talk to Gulsum. Maybe something good happens."

He nodded, already planning the best way to ask Liam about it. "I'm sure it will."

"So you live with a dragon and a werewolf?" Naiba broke through his thoughts.

"And a leprechaun and an abarimon," he finished the list, making her laugh again.

"An abarimon?"

"He travelled a long way."

"He sure did," she agreed. "That's amazing, though, what a beautiful family to have."

Harry shook his head. "We're not a family. We haven't even known each other for a very long time. We're just together right now but… it could all fall apart any moment."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Naiba said.

It was honest but not pitying and it somehow gave Harry the strength he needed.

"My family is dead," he choked on the words but wouldn't let that stop him, this time, "humans killed them all, while I slept on, not even caring."

He couldn't really hear the fun behind him anymore, he just felt her warm arms pull him in and heard her whisper things that made him feel better. She was a stranger, Harry realized, but opening up to her felt so easy, like he knew she could accept his pain. Or maybe, he thought, because it didn't yet matter if she couldn't.

Once he calmed down, he realized his face was completely dry. He hadn't been crying, just shaking and desperate for affection. "Thank you," he told Naiba, still pressed against her soft breasts and not feeling the need to let go.

She kissed the top of his head and he could finally sit straight, only slightly embarrassed by it all.

"The way he has been sitting there politely," she said, "trying not to run over here or listen in, he might not be your family, but that dragon is yours."

"He's not mine," Harry answered, trying not to sound wistful, and he turned around just in time to see Louis flinch and abruptly start talking to the confused meshe sitting next to him. "Oh."

He looked at Naiba again and smiled. "Thank you so much, for letting me fall apart all over you like that. If you'll excuse me, I have to go be embarrassing elsewhere now."

She laughed again and pushed him away, getting up and joining her forest spirits around a buffet of flowers.

Louis seemed to be talking louder and faster as Harry approached and didn't stop even as Harry was standing over him and the Meshe started slipping away, politely leaving the weird guests to take care of their issues.

Harry simply straddled Louis' thighs, making him grunt and stop talking. He put both palms on Louis' cheeks and tilted his head up until Louis was looking at his eyes, somehow defiant and resigned at the same time.

"Do I have a dragon, Louis?" It wasn't a fair question maybe but if anyone, Louis should know the answer.

He expected more bitterness but clearly resignation won over this time, as Louis just shrugged and said, "If you want one," quietly.

Harry smiled and caressed Louis' cheeks with his thumbs. "Of course I do."

He kissed Louis and felt his happy, slightly intoxicated exhale in his mouth.

"You are horrible, nymph. I've been telling you you're mine since the day we met," Louis said when they finally broke apart because they couldn't stop smiling.

"Being yours is not the same as you being mine, _dragon_."

"It is absolutely the same."

"Well now I know."

Louis nodded and Harry still needed to know. "And the others? Are you theirs too?"

Louis shrugged but looked straight at him this time. "Would it bother you?"

"No," Harry said simply, even though the answer was more honestly _please keep us all together forever_.

Louis just hummed but Harry understood. Liam and Niall were in a dangerous place right now, they couldn't make promises and Louis was careful not to trap them.

"Are you okay?" Louis asked, looking at where he and Naiba had been talking.

"Yes," Harry replied to Louis' hair, hiding his face there. "I told her about… but don't know if I can do it again. It was easy with her."

"That's good." Louis' nails made soothing circles over his back. "I'm just glad you talked to someone."

Calls sounded from behind Harry, for drinks and food and song, so they joined in and by the time the night fell and they had to leave, Harry realized he had made a friend, got drunk, and managed to heal himself a little in a single day.

He gave his dragon a kiss on his scaly muzzle before he climbed on.

**

** Niall **

Being alone in the cave for almost two days was… amazing.

Niall couldn't stop smiling, his cheeks were starting to hurt. He loved being with the others but doing nothing except cuddling with Liam and occasionally eating seemed like the end goal of their whole escape, and now he had an amazing taste of it as a small part of something even more beautiful. He refused to think about it ending. That was not the way to enjoy things.

He woke up Liam during the night they were expecting Louis back, and they made love one more time alone, building up from what Zayn showed them. It should have been embarrassing, maybe, that they needed help, but Niall knew Zayn understood them. And he certainly hadn't been complaining.

They left the cave after that - hoping it would air at least a bit before Louis came home, although he would probably be able to smell their come for a week at least - and spread out in the grass, waiting. Zayn joined them soon enough and they dozed and chatted until Liam told them he could hear the dragon coming.

It was still night when he landed, the days getting shorter again as summer was ending, but Niall made light around them so they could all fall into a group hug without anyone injuring himself. It was still a clumsy, naked hug and Niall felt himself blushing when he was surrounded by all those bodies. But it felt familiar and _his_ so he loved it anyway.

Harry was excited and animated like Niall hadn't often seen him before. And, the light Niall made wasn't that strong but Harry also seemed to be marked pretty brutally, by someone's teeth. Niall stopped his expressive movements for a moment to look. He heard Zayn and Liam make curious noises and they came close too. The marks ran from Harry's nipple down to his belly on one side, and then he turned his leg a bit to show them the same marks on the inside of his thigh.

Niall noticed Zayn look at Louis sharply but with a vicious smirk on his face that only promised good things. Niall wanted to reach out and touch, but it seemed too personal for that. Harry must have noticed though, or he'd just missed them pretty badly, because he took the time to drag every one of them close enough to kiss and rub against his marks shamelessly.

Louis winked at them from behind Harry's shoulder and said, "You haven't even seen the best one."

Niall felt his eyes widen but Zayn just said, "Can't believe you let him do that," to Harry.

"I liked it," was all the answer the nymph offered.

-

Louis came with presents, but they had to put away the things he got in trading first. Some of it would have to be dried first thing tomorrow so they left that out, but Zayn told them where to store the rest.

The sun was finally rising when Louis started pulling out presents. Niall didn't care about any others when he got his mushrooms. They smelled so good and tasted new and not like the same stuff he'd been eating for two years now. He gave Louis a quick kiss and started eating them before Zayn's present even made it out of the bag.

He did notice though, that Liam didn't get anything. Louis apologized and Liam just shrugged but there was an awkward silence for a few long seconds. Niall put his mushroom down. He suddenly had no idea why Louis would do that.

"Right. So I didn't bring you anything, and that seems like a shitty thing, but actually, I have something to tell you, which in the trading world is as important as objects, though I know others might not see it that way." Louis made them all sit down and he stood in front of them like a teacher. Niall didn't like this and Liam pressed against him a little desperately.

"I mean, you're probably gonna hate me after this, and that's okay, it's your right," Louis said loudly, like he really didn't care.

"Louis," Zayn interrupted. "Don't do it like this."

"You don't know what…"

"I do." They looked at each other, sharp and cold in what was supposed to be a warm dawn.

"You do."

Zayn nodded. "And I'm telling you, don't do what you always do."

Louis sighed and spread his arms wide before letting them slap his thighs. "Fine. I wish you _wouldn't_ hate me. But you will anyway."

Zayn sighed.

"I talked to someone about you, before you came here."

Liam went still next to him but Niall couldn't worry about that; he felt the mushrooms coming back up from his stomach. Louis was about to say more but Niall turned around quickly where he sat and threw up.

Liam's hand was on his back, trying to soothe him. He was saying something but Zayn's "Pan's balls, Louis!" was louder. There was a scuffle behind them but Niall still couldn't breathe and his stomach kept rebelling so he just pressed into Liam and hoped he wasn't stealing time from their escape.

Zayn was saying something but he couldn't hear what. He felt Harry's hand on his leg but he flinched away from it. Harry was in love with Louis, maybe he had known all this time. Zayn clearly had. Why hadn't Niall known? Why was Liam paranoid about everything but Niall constantly kept hoping for better? He was such an idiot. He was the one who kept telling Liam they had to try. "I'm so sorry," was the first thing he could say, and he hoped Liam got it.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, babe."

Niall smiled because he was pretty sure Liam only called him nicknames in really horrible situations.

He heard Zayn and Louis come back and luckily Louis didn't say anything yet, because it gave Niall time to start breathing normally again and move away from the smell of his puke, it was disgusting.

Zayn tried to get his attention but Niall couldn't really look at him. Liam's arm was around both his shoulders and he pressed close to his boyfriend. They would be okay.

"Niall," Zayn said again, and didn't wait for a reply this time, "I found out the day I left the cave. I didn't want to lie to you but I didn't want you to leave either. Louis' friend, Ed, he's a leprechaun too. And he asked around about your family."

Zayn was talking fast but Niall still had time to flinch as all the buzzwords hit. Zayn stopped them from leaving, a fucking _leprechaun_ was asking around about them.

"Your family is done trying to stop you. They are looking to make peace with you."

"Yeah," Niall said, "if I just end this silly relationship."

"No," Louis spoke up again, "no they are sorry, they…"

He must have started shaking under Liam's arm because Liam just said, "Shut the fuck up, Louis," and Louis did.

It was so much easier to listen to Zayn for some reason. "They want to apologize, to you. That's what Ed said."

What Niall really wanted was for this to not be a trap that his family was setting up. He wanted to hope just one more time, and meet his parents and his brother and hug them and love them. But it was really hard to dig up that hope right now.

"The werewolves have gone completely the other way, though," Zayn continued. "They, um…" He paused for a long time and Niall heard Liam speak next. "They want us dead."  
His voice was cold and detached, like this was something he had known for so long he'd had time to get used to the idea. Niall looked at him and Liam avoided his eyes.

And Niall knew everyone had some kind of good intention at heart, even Louis, but right now he just wanted to punch them all. He moved away from Liam and turned to Harry, furious, but paused when he saw his face, as lost and scared as Niall's own must have been.

"You didn't know about any of this?"

Harry just shook his head.

"Well, at least one of you."

Everyone around him flinched and for once he was glad that he'd managed to make a direct hit.

"But Liam," Louis said, "you can stop it."

"What?"

"Ed said that if you lose the bond with them, if you, well, if you make make a connection with someone else, a new pack I guess, then your bond with them will be broken and they will probably let you go. You won't…"

"I won't matter anymore," Liam said in a voice that wasn't as broken as Niall thought it would be. "Is that what happened, the other day, when I could only feel my parents?"

"Probably," Louis said, "your parents might be the hardest to let go of."

Niall stared at his own feet while this whole conversation was happening. He wanted to not care about any of them. Especially Louis, but he wasn't that picky, really.

"I want to talk to this leprechaun," he finally said. Because he couldn't sit there for the next decade and think about who he could trust, which was what he would need.

"Yeah, yes, of course, anything," Louis said, and Niall had a cutting reply but he bit his tongue and shifted his toes, just to watch them move. Then he made himself some clothes. He heard gasps from all of them but they could all go fuck themselves. Or each other.

"When?" he asked and Louis said, "Now, if you want."

"Can, can I come too?"

It took a while for Niall to understand that Liam was asking him and he didn't reply even then. It was clearly up to Louis to decide. So he was the one to agree and that was how all five of them started walking towards pixie territory, because of course that's where Louis' friend lived.

Niall hadn't felt so alone since the first time he escaped.

-

Louis went into pixie land alone and it took him a while to come back. Niall found himself panicking and wondering if he would look up next to see his parents standing there, waiting to drag him back home. He wanted to lean into Liam and take comfort in him but he couldn't.

"I'm sorry," Liam said, like he was reading his thoughts.

Niall shrugged. "I'm sorry too, I pushed you to trust them."

"Hey," Zayn said, but Niall didn't want to look at him. ‘Best intentions,' he kept telling himself, ‘they all meant well.'

"This is good news," Harry said.

"Yeah, because Liam's parents want to kill us, and my parents couldn't possibly be _lying_."

No one tried to talk to him after that.

-

Ed fucking Sheeran.

He was one of those leprechauns other leprechauns talked about when they wanted an example of _ridiculous amounts of magic_. He was what all the kids looked up to and then found out they could never be the first time their magic got them stuck in a wall.

He was short and red with a beard and thick cheeks, every stereotype Niall ever tried to erase about himself.

And he recognized Niall on sight.

"Niall Horan, great to finally meet you."

Niall nodded and mumbled something he couldn't really decipher himself because Ed was a hero but now also a threat.

"Louis tells me you know about your parents."

Near him, Zayn slapped his forehead and turned to Louis saying, "You just refuse to keep your mouth shut, I'm almost impressed," and Niall agreed, except he wasn't at all impressed.

"I know you said they are sorry. How do you know that?"

"I talked to some people who used to be paid to try and find you. Now they are being paid for any information, they said. Your parents are making it known that they want to apologize, they are hoping it reaches you."

"And how do I know it's not a trap?"

"You can't know until you meet them. But you don't have to meet them alone, or in their territory."

Niall nodded. "Somewhere neutral." He hadn't realized that was it, he had made the decision to meet them, until he said that.

"You can have my forest," Harry said. But Niall was happy that all of this, if it had to, happened on Louis' land because he never wanted to associate this horrible feeling inside of him with Harry's forest. So he shook his head and just said he didn't want his family there. Maybe Harry understood.

"The pixies' land?" Ed offered.

"No," Niall said. "Here. Your land." He turned to Louis and got a startled nod in reply. Zayn put a hand on Louis' neck and Niall looked away again to ask Ed when it could happen.

"I can be at their place and back with them in a moment, so, whenever you're ready," Ed said simply and Niall started hating him too for how easy it all was for him.

"Fine, tomorrow morning, here. I need time to remember I don't actually hate being here."

Everyone flinched again and he spread his arms and looked at all of them. "Yes! I'm angry! Deal with it." He was about to storm off impressively when he remembered he should probably not piss off Ed, so he turned to him and thanked him politely, before storming off impressively.

He heard Louis thanking Ed too and Liam asking him something, probably about his family, which Niall realized was important because, shit, Liam's family wanted him dead. He stopped where he was and just took a few breaths trying not to start crying. He heard them all coming closer and when he caught Liam's eye he jumped on him with all he had, knowing the werewolf would catch him.

He hugged him close, pressing his nose into Liam's hair. "Your family are a bunch of arseholes. I'm kinda angry that you hid this from me, but they are seriously the biggest bag of dicks ever and they don't deserve you. You're amazing and kind and I love you. They can fuck right off, I'll be your pack."

Liam held him close and Niall could feel him shaking. He couldn't imagine holding something like that in for who knows how long. Liam was an idiot. Niall grabbed him tighter.

-

Niall was busy trying not to hate Louis, remembering that Harry didn't do anything wrong and comforting and berating Liam - who, other than the order to shut up, so far hadn't said a word to Louis - so it took him a while to notice Zayn's reaction to everything that had happened.

Zayn was always quiet, but he was also always _there_. Standing by them, touching them, calming Louis down.

He took every opportunity to move away from them now. He told them he didn't need their help putting the flowers out to dry, only got Louis to start a fire in one of the aired rooms where he would put them.

He sat in a corner near the exit, drawing, and looked up at every loud noise. Niall only noticed because he was sitting next to Liam and looking in Zayn's general direction when Liam dropped the elephant he was carving. It wasn't loud, but it echoed around the cave and Zayn looked at Liam the way he had that first time on the river bank, scared and willing to run if he had to.

When he started paying attention, he saw it constantly. Every little noise had him looking up, his pencil kept breaking and Niall didn't know much about art but he was pretty sure Zayn wasn't actually drawing anything.

He saw Louis come up to him a few times, with tea and kisses and quiet words. He smiled when Harry sat next to him but it was forced until Harry kissed his cheek and then he collapsed into the nymph, still careful, but not about Harry.

It didn't seem fair, that Niall had every right to be angry but everyone around him was too broken and lonely to really be mad at.

He nudged Liam off gently and went over to Zayn. He noticed Harry and Louis eyeing him warily. What kind of monster did they think he was?

He remembered then, something Zayn said a while back, about sphinxes not being known for their kindness. He remembered Zayn had been taken and then abandoned by the ghost, that he had to run away from the sphynx. He got down on his knees next to Zayn who was quickly sitting up from where he was leaning into Harry.

Niall realized he had no idea what to say. Their future hinged on too many elements that had nothing to do with them, and he wanted to promise Zayn everything.

He felt Liam's eyes on his back.

"Can I hug you?" he decided to ask.

Zayn went wide eyed but he nodded and then Niall hugged him. He heard Zayn's breath hitch and his nose nudge the neckline of his shirt so he could press his face against skin instead. Niall ran his fingers through Zayn's hair and held him close until Zayn seemed willing to let go.

He got up and turned around just in time to see Louis' eyes and he wanted to stay angry at everyone longer, he did, but Louis wasn't even trying. He had just given up and Niall knew enough about him and Zayn to know that was just how he did things.

"I get to be mad at you, Louis," he finally said, exasperated.

Louis looked at him, startled, and nodded.

Niall rubbed at his face and sat back down next to Liam. "I get to be mad at all of you. Except Harry I guess. You all lied to me. I know that you were trying to be noble or helpful or whatever but that's not how you do things when you live with people. We can't all just lie to each other."

There was a silence in which Niall guessed everyone was trying not to defend their actions or say something wrong.

Finally Harry said, "Right. So we're not gonna do that anymore, hide things from each other?" And he looked around the cave at all of them but Louis turned away like he wasn't a part of the conversation.

And Niall had had enough of that. "Do you want us to go?"

Louis turned around looking shocked, but then froze and tried looking bored again. It was… horrible.

"What difference does it make?"

"You're so full of shit," Liam chimed in. "You give me that crap speech about not dealing with my problems alone and now you're pretending we're already gone. Make up your mind, we can be on our way in a second if that's what you want."

"Like you don't want to go anyway," Louis said, his fists clenching. "I knew what I was doing when I talked to Ed and you know what, I'm not even sorry. I know he'd never betray me, I know he'll do the best he can to finally _end_ your run, instead of just giving you a place to rest before you go again. So if you want me to apologize and beg for forgiveness, I'm not gonna. I stand by what I did."

Niall looked at him, hating that he could understand it, but still wanting Louis to feel bad for lying to them.

"How about for breaking their trust, are you sorry for that?" Zayn asked.

"I said I was."

"No." Niall tried to remember the whole morning. "You said it was okay if we hated you, and you said my parents were sorry, but you never said you were sorry."

Louis opened his mouth to argue but then frowned and closed it, looking at the floor. "Oh. Well, I'm sorry."

Liam snorted, not happy. "You really sound it."

"You are su…" Louis stopped himself quickly there, but wasn't done speaking. "I'm sorry you hate me now, and that you're gonna leave when all of this is done and I'm gonna be just another in the line of monsters who betrayed you, alright? I am. But if it gets a part or all of your problem sorted, I don't care."

"That's so fucking noble I'm gonna gag," Liam said, vicious in a way Niall had never heard him before. He stood up and Niall suddenly noticed how much bigger than Louis he was, when he came close and bent down to stare at him. "You keep trying to sacrifice yourself when no one fucking asked you to. You take Zayn back to his parents, you pull this and then say we can just go, what are you gonna do to Harry, dump him on an island somewhere?"

"Hey," came a soft protest from Zayn and Harry's corner.

"No one needs your sacrifice. I'm asking you now, do you want us to stay, or do you want us to go?"

Liam's question was so final Niall felt his heart stutter. It wasn't fair, it was too general and too simple, but it was the right one, because Louis might have had the right reasons but he was doing everything upside down.

Louis swallowed and then didn't say anything for a long time. Niall felt the exhaustion of the day pressing on him in the silence.

"I can't…" Louis started, then stopped again.

Liam had already stepped back because he, like Niall, probably expected a yes or no. Zayn looked like the only one who knew what was going on.

"I can't be _a little_ selfish. Look at what I did to Harry." He pointed with a finger and Niall didn't have to look to know he meant the marks, or to know that Harry was blushing. "I don't want a bit of anything. I want everything, always, forever. So I can't say, ‘sure, I want you to stay' and mean ‘but feel free to leave whenever you want to.' And you can't ask me to do that."

Liam sighed, but nodded. Niall understood it was too soon for that kind of a promise so he kept his mouth shut too.

He let Louis make cups and cups of tea for them all and touched his fingers every time he took one and told him thank you with a smile and watched him blush and look away until he started talking again.

First he talked about tea, then about herbs, then Harry mentioned the trip and they talked about that at length. It sounded fun. Like something Niall would want to join one day.

**

** Liam **

Louis was inventing a word game with a bunch of rules that made no sense. They all had to talk about something, a specific topic, at the same time and whoever spoke last would get his nipple pinched unless they managed to pinch someone else's first. It was mainly a game which let Louis pinch everyone and got their minds off tomorrow, and today, but it was working so Liam was grateful despite his nipples _throbbing_. Niall was smiling at least, even if his eyes were still a bit too serious.

Liam spent a lot of time looking at Louis and wondering what it was like, to want something so badly, and know it could be taken from you at any moment. He imagined for Louis it was more of a need than a want. Despite how angry he was at the dragon, it made Liam want to promise him what he couldn't.

They had known each other for such a short time, it was a stupid thought to have. One whole month with Louis and maybe they would be sick of him. Maybe Liam would try to kill him. But it felt so right.

Louis' fingers were going for his nipples again and this time Liam stopped him, reached out quickly and pinched him instead. Louis frowned and tried to cheat, went for him anyway. Liam grabbed his hand and held it close to him, pressed his thumb in the middle of Louis' palm.

Louis twitched his hand once and then left it there and Liam caressed his palm, leaving the game while Louis used his other hand to keep on playing.

He was so small, was the thing. This dragon. His hand fit into Liam's perfectly. He lifted it and kissed his fingers, stopping the game effectively.

He kissed his palm and his wrists and up his arm, slowly, until he reached the shoulder. He bit in, with some wolf behind it, encouraged by the sight of Harry's marks, and felt Louis shiver and choke back a moan.

"Please," Louis whispered instead.

Liam lowered his forehead on Louis' shoulder and nudged him with his nose. "Please, what, dragon?"

Louis turned his head so he could speak directly in Liam's ear. "Please touch me."

Liam thought maybe everyone else would join in, but when he looked over, the three of them had huddled in closer and were observing, curious and interested but not participating.

"Looks like it's just you and me," he told Louis and ran his hands down Louis' chest and back, one on each side. Louis sat up at it, letting him reach lower, over his belly and hips and between his legs.

Liam kept touching him like that, sometimes just caressing, sometimes pressing in, relaxing the muscles in his back or poking the softness of his belly. After a long time of just that, Louis was dead weight in his arms, hanging on him and breathing hard trying to rub himself against Liam's knee or shin.

When Liam leaned down to kiss him, Louis pushed back, starved. He bit on Liam's lip and sucked in his tongue, not letting go until Liam pulled him back by his hair.

There was a moan from the other three and he looked over to see Niall's hand on Harry's balls, just squeezing rhythmically. Zayn was being kissed by Harry, thoroughly, and he was reaching over Harry groping for Niall.

Louis had by that point climbed into his lap, not willing to be ignored, and he started biting down Liam's jaw, not nearly as hard as he clearly wanted to.

Liam pushed him back and shook his head. "No." He grabbed Louis' chin with strong fingers. "Can you do what I tell you? Just follow instructions and do nothing else?"

Louis nodded enthusiastically and Liam kissed him once, quickly. "You made my boyfriend's nipples all red there, they are so sensitive now. Go over there, take his shirt off, and lick them better, until I tell you to stop."

Louis nodded again and went over to Niall, tugging his shirt up, doing exactly what he was told as everyone else just watched.

Liam wanted to think this made it better. But he wondered if giving Louis a little of what he could have with no idea of what tomorrow would bring was a good thing, or a cruel punishment.

He made happy noises though, while he did what he was told, and it got Niall's head out of his problems even better than their games. Liam let it go on for a long time, just the licking, until Niall fell back because he couldn't sit anymore and Liam saw Louis' cock getting harder.

"Louis," he called, "taste your precome."

He sat up and did just that, careless about the randomness of the order.

It went on for a long time, Liam telling him various things to do, licking, sucking, tasting, all the things he usually didn't do because he was too busy biting and pinching and fighting. He had to let Harry suck his tongue, had to kiss Harry's taste off Zayn's fingers and wank slowly while Harry's mouth teased him.

He obeyed beautifully and was so hard but never once touched himself without permission.

Liam dragged him close, for another kiss and to ask, "What do you want to do now?" Louis just shook his head.

"You don't want to come?"

And Louis shook his head again, whispering, "No, no, I'm good."

Zayn leaned into Liam and said something, so Liam repeated it. "You're so good."

Louis started shivering again and his eyes filled with tears. Liam looked at Zayn, terrified that he fucked it up, but just got nudged closer to Louis. So he hugged him tight and called him good until they both stopped shaking.

"Can I just sleep like this?" Louis asked, slow and quiet, and Liam nodded, surprised but not minding. He was only half hard after seeing Louis shake like that, so he didn't mind just sinking to his back and pulling Louis close. He heard the others finish each other off and clean up before they joined them, Niall against his back, Zayn behind Louis and Harry behind Zayn.

He wanted to explain to Zayn that he had only meant to give Louis a bit of what he wanted and maybe an opportunity to fix things a little, and had no idea what it had all devolved into. But Zayn was kissing the back of Louis' neck and watching him seriously, and Liam knew it wasn't just a bit of fun.

-

He woke up in almost the same position, to the sounds of Zayn whispering something to Louis who was lying completely stiff with his head low on Liam's chest.

"Who even does that," Louis finally whispered and Liam understood. He tugged Louis' hair to get him to look up and saw him blushing all the way down to his stomach.

"You were amazing," he said, and didn't wait for Louis to ruin it with something sarcastic before he kissed him.

He kissed Zayn next and really, he wouldn't mind waking up like this for a long, long time.

They all stayed where they were for a while longer, unwilling to wake up Niall and make his wait even longer but eventually everyone started moving and the day had to begin.

-

Niall was sitting at the edge of the exit, wearing jeans and a sleeveless white shirt, his favourite combo. Liam smiled at the familiarity of it when he sat down next to him.

They sat in silence for a while, but they would have to leave soon and Liam needed to know if they had a strategy or if they were going in hoping for the best.

"Do you want me there as your boyfriend or as the ‘wolf?" he ended up asking.

Niall looked at him quickly and Liam could see the ‘boyfriend' formed on his lips but he stopped. It made him feel warm inside, that that was Niall's first choice, even if it wasn't the wisest one.

Niall cringed and looked sorry but Liam shook his head, told him it was alright. It was the safer move.

They sat there a while longer while Liam made a list in his head, of problems they weren't talking about. Like what would happen if they really did want to make good and they asked Niall to come back. What if Niall said yes, and what if he said no? What if they attacked? If they hated Niall going out with Liam, what would they think of their new five-way thing now if they found out?

He just made the list though, didn't try to answer any of it.

-

"We should play a game," Louis said, expectedly, as they were walking towards the meeting point and everyone was wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Liam was on four legs and he could smell the fear in everyone, including Louis. But his voice sounded as careless and slightly bored as ever.

Zayn hummed at Louis politely, letting him continue, and Louis started making it up on the spot, forcing everyone to join in, approve of the rules or make up their own. Liam was happy no one expected him to talk but then Louis tugged on his tail to get his approval on something and he had to "wag his tail or growl menacingly" if he liked or disliked something.

So the whole trip was spent making up rules for a game that sounded too ridiculous to ever be played. But then, it was Louis, they would play it sooner or later.

When they got there, Ed was already waiting, sort of, asleep high up in a tree. Louis woke him up by throwing rocks at him.

He fell down but slowed the fall before he hit the ground, so he just rolled his eyes at Louis and turned his attention to Liam and Niall. Niall's hand was nervously petting Liam's neck as they stood side by side and Ed nodded at both of them and asked Niall if he was ready.

Liam tried not to yelp when Niall's fingers clutched his hair. Ed noticed.

"Well, it's gonna take me a few minutes to tell them what's going on so, just breathe, I'll be right back." And he was gone.

The moment he was gone Liam felt another shift near them and he looked to the source to see Louis had turned dragon. They were surrounded by trees, he had no mobility, but apparently he wasn't risking it either.

Niall pressed closer.

With Louis unable to speak they were all unnaturally silent. They could hear the birds, a low thunder in the distance, drops of water falling on leaves nearby.

In the end it was of course Niall who broke. He started laughing so hard he doubled over and soon Zayn and Harry joined him.

"Guys, it's okay," he said when he could speak normally again, "we're gonna be okay."

Liam turned and looked at Louis. They understood each other much better this way. The others could be optimists, they weren't changing back.

-

One second they were alone, the next Niall's parents were standing there. Niall once told him the only thing his parents agreed on after their divorce was that Niall shouldn't have dated Liam.

If that had been right, then this was the second thing. They were both teary eyed, tired and scared and when they saw Niall they didn't even hesitate, didn't notice the dragon or care about the wolf, they just pulled Niall into a hug and cried while they held him.

Liam's heart clenched. He was suddenly missing his parents so badly, the way they used to be. But when he reached out to them, instinctively, he hit a cold wall.

Niall's parents kept saying how sorry they were and Niall wrapped both his arms around their shoulders and held them tight. Liam felt Niall's relief pour over him, the smell of his tears less bitter than it was when they used to talk about missing home.

There wasn't a hint of deceit around them, Liam could smell it and feel it. They were honest.

He checked to make sure everyone was close by just in case. Even Ed had stayed, and Liam hoped they could count on him, if needed.

The hug lasted a long time and even when it stopped, Niall's parents couldn't move too far away. His mother kept looking at his face, like she couldn't believe he was there, and his father kept a hand on his shoulder, unable to let go.

When Niall finally turned to them, Liam could see the tears in his eyes and he moved closer again, pressing his muzzle against Niall's hip.

That was when his parents also looked around and saw them all. His father took a little step back and his mother's heart sped up, especially when she saw Louis, but she tried not to show her fear.

Niall ignored it and smiled happily. "Guys, these are my mum and da!"

Harry laughed quietly and Niall's mum must have determined him the least dangerous - which Liam thought was laughable too - because she smiled back at him and used it to introduce herself. "My name is Maura, and this," she prompted her ex-husband. "I'm Bobby," he finished. He was still wary but in the end seemed to care more about standing close to his son than wondering about the rest of them.

Then Niall's mum finally looked down at him and her eyes sprang with new tears. "Liam. I'm so sorry." She was holding her own hand like she was stopping herself from petting him and Liam almost wished he weren't in his ‘wolf form, but then, maybe it would be easier this way. He walked up to her and touched her hands with his nose. She laughed, a little broken and petted his head. Niall's father didn't look like the petting type, but he nodded at Liam and said he was sorry too.

The moment was tense and Liam knew Louis wouldn't be able to handle it for much longer. He was right. After a few more silent seconds had passed, the first thing to happen was Ed disappearing without a goodbye. Then Louis huffed, terrifying Niall's parents when smoke came out of his nostrils, the massive drama queen, and turned back to his tiny, naked self. "Well that was anticlimactic," he declared.

He walked up to Niall's parents with a grin that Liam was just learning to appreciate. "My name is Louis and this is my land. That is Zayn," he pointed, "my beautiful and amazing boyfriend, and that mess of curls over there is Harry, my other beautiful and amazing boyfriend. You're welcome to stay for a while. We have some brilliant new mushrooms."

And with that he walked away, leaving Niall to crack up and pull both of his very confused parents after him.

-

Louis brought them close to the cave, to a place where they could all sit and talk, the trees thick enough that even the rain, bound to start falling again, shouldn't be much of a problem. Liam pulled Niall aside for a moment and turned back, had Niall make him some clothes. He'd got so used to walking around naked with the other guys, but he just couldn't do it now, not with Niall and his parents all dressed.

Niall took another few seconds to give Liam a quick kiss and say, "They mean it, they mean it, Liam," before he ran back to them, and Liam smiled, happy for him.

When he came back he saw that Louis and Harry had gone to get food and whatever else. Zayn was leaning against a tree, looking at the small family with some sadness in his eyes, and Niall was talking to his parents, smiling and happy like all of his burdens had been lifted.

Liam sat between him and Zayn, wanting to be close to Niall but somehow feeling like he fit more with Zayn at that moment.

"You've grown a lot, Liam," Maura noticed when Niall ran out of words. "You both have. You're just so skinny…" She had to cut herself off because her voice was wavering. She probably imagined them lost and starved in the forest. And sometimes it had been true, the period just before they met Harry for instance, had been horrible, but not always, and certainly not since they came here.

"It's all muscle, mum," Niall told her.

She smiled but wiped away a tear anyway. "I wish we'd reacted differently, love." She shook her head. Liam could see there was so much they wanted to talk about but they were waiting. Probably waiting to be alone in their own home, with Niall. And Liam didn't have a non-selfish reason to stop that.

"Look at your attire, Liam, like a proper boy," Louis said when he and Harry got back with food. Liam ignored him.

They sat in a circle, like they always did. Niall started a fire and blushed proudly when his dad looked at him, surprised. Harry and Zayn spread the food around and they started roasting and eating. A bit earlier than normal but Louis probably thought it was better than staring at each other. He was right, partially.

Liam couldn't help but look at everything they did through Niall's parents' eyes now. They were leprechauns with a big family and strong ties, but the Horans had lived their whole lives in towns. Near a forest, but always with clothes, technology, human mannerisms and customs.

He saw them try to dust their clothes, like the mud wouldn't cake to them permanently anyway. He noticed the way they looked at the mushrooms, unsure, and then startled when Niall just bit into his raw, still grinning. Luckily no one brought Harry any fish so he was stuck eating flowers but he did have nuts which he was biting through whole. And on the other side, Zayn, who sometimes did eat his meat raw, was trying discreetly to check with Louis if it was still okay to do that. Louis shrugged but Liam shook his head sharply at both of them. They had to _not_ freak Niall's parents out again.

Which was probably why Louis grabbed a piece of meat, held it to his face and burned it with his dragon fire.

Niall's mum actually squeaked. Niall, of course, cracked up.

Bobby was looking at them like he felt he was being provoked, but honestly, other than Louis' slight exaggeration, this was just them. And they were lucky that Zayn had some meat put away, otherwise he and Liam would have had to go hunting first.

He thought maybe he should feel embarrassed, but when he looked around all he saw were people who survived some horrible times and found each other.

So he stole a bit of Louis' dragon roasted meat, avoided his pinches and let Niall laugh at them.

-

None of them were willing to leave the Horans alone, was the thing. Liam noticed the tension rising slowly after the meal, everyone aware that the polite thing to do was to give them privacy. No one moved.

So it wasn't really a surprise, some hours later, when the conversation got stilted and the breaks got longer, that Maura asked Niall to come home with them. It just _felt_ like a surprise because it cut Liam up so hard.

Niall bit his lip and looked at the other guys, trying to show them it was alright. He grabbed Liam's hand and Liam's heart felt like it was literally breaking. Which wasn't physically possible, probably. He touched his chest just to make sure there wasn't a gaping wound there and no, it was whole.

"I'd like to go with you for a bit, see Greg and just talk I guess, but I have to come back then."

His dad looked like he was about to protest but Maura stopped him. Liam figured she knew they had time to persuade Niall to stay once he was alone.

"You're welcome to come too, Liam," Maura said but Liam knew they needed to be alone, and he was frankly afraid his parents would find them, if he came that close.

So they made plans, and Niall gave Liam a hug and a kiss - just a hug for the others - and he whispered, "A week, I promise."

He left with Louis because Liam didn't want to go and Zayn and Harry, who had been quiet all day, stayed with him.


	4. Chapter 4

** Zayn **

Zayn couldn't decide who to worry about more.

Liam was sitting next to a tree, in his muddy clothes, just hugging his knees, looking miserable. Harry was lying down next to the fire, his eyes teary and Zayn couldn't even imagine where this family reunion took him. Zayn himself was missing his family so badly it hurt physically. And when Louis came back… he would be a wreck.

They couldn't spend a week like this, they would eat each other alive. Or Louis would literally eat them all.

They needed a diversion. A week long diversion.

So when Louis came back, looking wild around the eyes and opening his mouth to _say things_ , Zayn stopped him. "It's time to prank the pixies."

-

Pixies were, amongst other things, greedy little berry lovers.

And since they had a bag full of blueberries - it was for trade, but Louis didn't mind wasting on pranks - and nothing but time they were looking to lose, they decided to play a bit.

They set aside a few fistfuls of berries and put the others in a stone bowl and mashed them until they got a bowl of thick dark blue syrup. Then they gathered some pebbles, coffee beans they had laying around, black and red currant - voted the most horrible of berries, and whatever else they could find, including bits of wood, a small snail house and some bugs. And they started dipping them in the syrup, making them look and smell like blueberries.

They were all still tender but Louis kept the chatter up and the painting took them a few hours at least. The berries had to be put out to dry so Liam and Harry carefully took them to the drying room in the cave, while Zayn stayed behind with Louis, not willing to let him choke on his misery the whole evening.

He kissed Louis until the dragon stopped trying to speak. It was the only way to start a conversation with him sometimes. He let his hands touch Louis' face and arms and chest, just calming him down as much as he could. "You did so good. I know it feels like shit now but he's gonna come back to us and then things will be _better_ than they have been so far."

Louis nodded because it wasn't anything he didn't know but he needed to hear it anyway.

"Come on, the sunset is soon and we can go watch from the cliff top, we haven't in a while."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Louis said, and for the first time he lost his forced happy voice and sounded as tired as he really was.

-

Harry and Liam hadn't been to the top of the cliff yet. It was one of those things that would normally be too dangerous for Liam and Niall, but that they would be able to do now, if Niall sorted everything out with his family and Liam broke ties with his. So Zayn looked at it as a kind of nostalgic celebration of what could be.

They brought snacks and sat on the edge, dangling their feet. Harry curled up to Zayn the moment they sat down, his head on Zayn's shoulder and an arm around his waist. Zayn scratched his head, concerned over how quiet Harry had been all day but glad he was taking what he needed.

Louis was on Zayn's other side, just looking at them with a sappy smile, when Liam sat next to him. Louis looked at Zayn in a panic but Zayn just shrugged at him. He had to learn to communicate with Liam on his own.

Of course, he started poking the werewolf until Liam gave up and caught one of his hands in his and pressed the other tight against his belly. It was in no way comfortable for anyone involved but Zayn _wasn't_ involved so he focused on getting Harry to make some content noises.

The thing about cliff sunsets was, they looked best when the weather was just the right amount of bad. Some clouds, a little rain and the view turned into a colourful oil painting. They could see pretty far from the top, over most of their forest, and the sunsets lasted for a long time, sometimes golden, sometimes pink and purple. This sunset was rainless and looked like it might stay golden, until it reached a certain point and then it broke out in vivid colours, reflecting off the clouds and breaking through them.

Harry's head slipped a bit lower, like he was falling asleep. Zayn felt a drop of something fall on his belly and realized Harry was silently crying. Zayn just continued petting his hair and holding him close, hoping that was enough.

Even Louis was silent now. Held by Liam and pressing against Zayn's shoulder, he was just looking at the sky, not even fidgeting.

They stayed up a lot longer than they should have, considering they still had to get down the cliff, so Louis ended up carrying them down in the darkness.

Zayn wasn't sure if they actually fell asleep or woke up, certainly not all at the same time. He woke up so many times during the night that he forgot the number. He heard Harry and Liam talking, Louis going out and coming back, someone sniffing sadly, Louis tussling with someone, felt Harry slide under his arm and Louis press against him later. It was a horrible night and when the daylight finally broke into the cave he heard them all sigh with relief.

They checked the berries and even though they were still a bit sticky, they declared them good enough.

They took a different path to the pixies' land, this one a bit hidden and not heavily guarded, often used by Zayn for things like this. Although, Zayn could admit that was mostly because it was horrible. The trees were low, the bushes wide and thorny and the ground muddy and full of holes. Liam eventually turned ‘wolf because he kept falling, but there was no helping Harry.

Liam warned them as soon as he was able to smell the pixies so they went on as quietly as possible. Zayn and Harry spread the fake berries and most of the real ones all around the trees and under the shrubs, while Liam led Louis as close as possible to catch the pixies' attention with a fistful of real berries.

As soon as they were done, they climbed high into the closest trees and waited.

Zayn saw Perrie notice the berries first and fly over to eat as many as she could before she called for the others. There were about ten of them close by and they all gorged on the berries which, since the pixies were tiny, were the size of a small meal to them. Zayn could honestly have had fun just watching them eat.

But it was way better when they started spreading out and finding more and more fake berries. They started grumbling in their little bell-like voices, throwing berries at the forest angrily. In no time they were ready to set the forest on fire with dozens of bells and curses clashing and ringing until Zayn and the others couldn't handle it anymore and started laughing.

They jumped down from the trees only to find themselves surrounded by angry pixies with fists full of blue pebbles.

By the time the pixies were done with them, they all had blue marks on their faces and their cheeks hurt from laughing and the pebbles that hit them.

Leigh-Anne was about to swing another one at him when he caught her so she could sit in his palm and pulled her close to his face. She kicked his cheek and he laughed again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but we really needed this," he said.

She huffed and pulled at his hair but didn't stick the pebble up his nose so he knew he was forgiven.

Two pixies that were trying to punish Harry got distracted by his hair and were now sitting in it, apparently braiding it. Louis was already talking to Amira, although she _was_ still trying to stick a pebble up his nose. Asami was sitting on Liam's palm and they seemed to be just staring at each other. Zayn wasn't sure if he should get involved but he knew Liam's past with the pixies and he knew Asami, so he let Leigh-Anne sit on his shoulder while he came over to check on them.

He nudged Liam to get his attention but it was Asami who spoke first. "He says he doesn't like pixies."

"I just think you're dangerous and careless," Liam said stubbornly.

"Yeah, well, you should be afraid of us!" Shereen piped up from… out of Harry's hair.

"Well I am!" Liam shouted back at her and Leigh-Anne sighed sadly into Zayn's ear.

"You're Liam the werewolf." Shereen flew over to take a closer look at Liam's face. "Your family is looking for you."

Liam's eyes went wide and scared until Jesy flew by sing-songing, "Your family sucks."

Zayn heard Harry snort and start giggling.

"We're not gonna send you back," Shereen said, looking very serious for the first time ever.

"How do you know about that?" Liam asked.

"Everyone knows." Jess sat on Liam's shoulder. "Those pixies got an arsekicking."

All the pixies around them nodded. "You don't do that shit," Leigh-Ann said, "pixies don't _hurt_ anyone."

"Oh. Well, that's good," Liam said then.

"We think so," Jade spoke up, also from Harry's hair. She made a quick trip over to Zayn, to kiss his nose and then she was back to rolling in Harry's locks. The nymph didn't seem to mind at all so Zayn just shrugged.

He felt Perrie sit on his other shoulder before she started yelling at Louis. "Hey dragon! You ban us from your land and then you ambush us like this, that's not fair."

He came over and tried to poke her belly but Zayn moved so he couldn't. It got him a pout from Louis and a kiss from Perrie.

"Well as you can see," Louis said, "we were hiding fugitives. But we were a little sad so we came to you for fun and entertainment."

"Why were you sad?" Amira asked.

"Liam's leprechaun went home with his family and we miss him."

"But it's good that he's with his family, and that he'll be back."

"I still miss him," Liam simply said; and all the pixies flew over to him to give him hugs. Except Jade who apparently got caught in Harry's hair; he was failing to help her get out until Louis sorted them out.

-

Usually pixies had a king and a queen, a real court and a hierarchy. Their pixies didn't really care about that. Amira was probably as close to a queen as they got, but their whole community functioned more on mutual respect, love and mischief. They argued a lot but they were also fiercely loyal and made each other laugh all the time.

They spent three days in their forest and Zayn finally got to see his boys relax a little. Pixies kept them busy. There was always something happening, always some mischief that could be planned. And if they were resting, in a group that big, someone was always talking. They could keep their thoughts occupied all the time and that was exactly what they needed.

Their cave was silent and empty when they came back, but they were still buzzing, full of stories and laughter, when they went to sleep.

-

Zayn woke up missing Niall. Niall was a morning person. He could be happy at any time of day and Zayn liked waking up to his laughter and seeing his gross soapy smile when he brushed his teeth because he refused to chew the herbs that Zayn got him.

Waking up in the silence, Zayn thought, was the worst.

That thought only lasted until he heard Liam's painful whimper.

Harry was lying under Liam's hand and he turned quickly to see what was wrong, but Liam seemed asleep. Harry shook him carefully and Liam's eyes opened but he curled in on himself and started shaking.

"Is it your family?" Louis asked from behind Zayn.

Liam just nodded. "My parents. They are… stronger." He gasped and went quiet again, like it was taking too much out of him.

Zayn remembered the last time this happened and didn't try to touch him. Liam even moved away from Harry. They all looked at each other, helpless.

"It didn't last so long last time," Harry said. "It was really long the first time I saw it happen. I don't know how it's gonna be now." He was sitting up and looking really sad. Zayn tugged him closer and gave him a hug, but sitting there watching Liam be in pain didn't seem right. Abandoning him felt even worse.

But watching him curl up in pain was bringing back Zayn's own bad memories, in a way they hadn't crowded him when Niall had been there for Liam, and he felt them mocking him inside his head. Louis couldn't focus on him, not with Liam being in _real_ pain, and Zayn was starting to feel like enough of a selfish asshole for letting his brain make it all about himself.

They didn't have any food in the cave though and even if none of them felt like eating, Liam would need it later. So Zayn went out to hunt, because that was useful and would maybe stop the memories, and Louis looked for food for Harry, while Harry took care of Liam.

No matter how fast Zayn was, hunting still took time and when he came back to the cave, the sun was high in the sky. Liam was still in the same position, sweat pouring over his face and back and Harry looked like he'd cried before and would again. Louis was sitting at the exit, looking out and biting his nails.

"He's asking for Niall," Harry said with a tremble in his voice.

Zayn came closer and heard it, after every few broken breaths, just Niall's name, like he knew he wouldn't come.

"I'm gonna go find Ed." Zayn stood up. "He will bring Niall back, I don't care."

But it didn't matter how fast he ran or what he did, Ed was away and no one could find him. He would come back in time to bring Niall back, that's all anyone knew.

So Zayn came back to the cave defeated to find nothing had changed, except Louis had started pacing. "We should find these bastards," Louis said, "we can kill them, end this now."

"Start a feud with the werewolves?" Zayn shook his head.

"Are you saying he's not worth it?" Louis was looking for a fight.

"I'm saying getting him and all of us killed won't help him in the long run."

Harry pulled Louis down and hugged him, and Louis didn't exactly calm down but he let himself be hugged which was something.

"You can go look for Niall when the night falls though," Harry said after a while.

"I don't know where he lives." Louis looked desperate. "How can I have no idea which direction he even lives in?!"

Harry pulled him in tighter. "You'll find him if you need to, I know you will."

Zayn knew Harry wasn't completely wrong. Louis could find Zayn and probably Harry anywhere, because they were his, but his connection to the other boys wasn't as strong. It existed though, maybe it would be enough, if they needed it.

But in the next moment, everything changed. First Liam stopped breathing, for what felt like a very long time. Then Harry sat up looking terrified and said, "Too much magic, take him out!" but before Zayn could do that, Liam fell to his back and started screaming, wounds appearing out of nowhere on his arms and stomach like deep cuts.

Everything Zayn had been pushing back all morning washed over him. His stomach rolled and he thought he would be sick. Harry grabbed his arm, trying to get his attention but Zayn pushed him away so hard he hit the wall. He was up, ready to run away when he caught sight of Liam again, and he couldn't leave him there, in pain.

He grabbed Liam's body despite the fact that it made Liam scream harder and with Harry's and Louis' help they somehow brought him down to the forest. Zayn was still holding the screaming boy, ready to run away but Harry asked him to put Liam down on the ground. Promised he could help him.

Zayn swallowed. He trusted Harry. Louis, calling his name, scared, trusted both him and Harry. He put Liam down.

Harry went to his knees and dug his fingers into the ground. Zayn and Louis fell back when the grass and bushes around them started growing and expanding, all going for Liam and surrounding him like a cocoon.

They had no idea what Harry was doing but Liam's screams turned into whimpers. From what they could see, the cuts were still bleeding but no new ones were being made. Zayn couldn't make himself look away. He felt Louis' hand in his and leaned against the dragon, trying to breathe with him.

Harry was still kneeling on the grass with his fingers in the ground and he was starting to go a little pale.

Liam, once the worst of it passed, started calling for Niall again. It started desperately, with the same resignation it had before, but after the first few times it changed. It became demanding, certain.

Harry gasped and his eyes opened wide, but he shook his head when they tried to ask him what was going on. Louis was shaking next to him, and Zayn squeezed his hand so tight the both of them hurt.

"Niall!" Liam was ordering now and Zayn had never wanted anything more than for Niall to just pop into existence right then.

What happened instead was, Liam smiled. He smiled and said, "There you are." Then he giggled and fell asleep.

The overgrown branches started pulling away from Liam but mostly stayed on the ground, too heavy for anything else. As they watched them retreat, Zayn noticed a lot of them had been inside Liam's wounds, and as they pulled out with a nauseating sound, the cuts closed up partially. Harry slumped, dragging his fingers slowly out of the ground. Zayn moved to help him stand up.

When Liam was free, Louis moved so he was kneeling next to him, still afraid to touch but as close as he could be without it.

Zayn kissed Harry's hair, felt him sweaty and shaking under his lips. "I have no idea what you did, but thank you."

Harry shook his head and slumped against him.

They weren't going to risk waking or hurting Liam by carrying him to the cave again, and Harry looked like he needed food and rest now too, so Zayn went and got them something to eat and the salve for Liam's wounds. Louis started a fire, big enough to keep them all warm. Harry ate two full sunflowers before he finally said, "He found Niall," and then went to sleep, a petal still hanging from his mouth.

Louis and Zayn sat together and watched their friends sleep.

**

** Louis **

When Louis was little and still lived with his family, he always kept an eye on all of his siblings. They all liked to run around, climb things and play all day. And every day at least one of them would fall and hurt themselves. Sometimes Louis knew it would happen before he even heard the scream. He would run up to them and kiss them, tell them a story to keep their mind of the pain while their mum checked to make sure it wasn't anything serious.

Watching Liam be tortured was nothing like that. He never saw it coming, he couldn't kiss him better or distract him from the pain. He had to sit there and watch Liam, _his_ Liam, suffer with no end in sight.

Now with Liam and Harry both sleeping their exhaustion away he could focus on Zayn and try to get him back to the present, even if the said present wasn't the best time they ever had.

He wanted Niall back. Everything had started going wrong when he left and Louis knew it couldn't get better until he was back.

The thing was, Zayn was Louis' rock. He was what Louis came home to, not the cave. If Zayn wanted to live in the top of a tree, Louis would make it happen. Having their roles reversed reminded Louis a bit of how they first met, only he couldn't treat him the same way now.

Zayn loved touching people, giving hugs and kisses. He loved bossing Louis around, but he always did it with a teasing smile, always rewarded with a gentle touch. And Louis was positive he couldn't give the same back.

Zayn was leaning against a tree, lost in his own thoughts, his face… desperate.

Louis made him tea, in a cup, because Louis loved tea and Zayn had laughed at the human-made purple cup with a frowny face, once.

Zayn thanked him with a smile that made Louis a bit sick.

"I'm gonna hug you now," Louis said and made sure to give Zayn time to tell him no before he sat down next to him and hugged him, trying not to spill the tea. He was coming from the side so he hugged Zayn around the ribs and pressed his face to Zayn's arm. It was awkward.

"I'm so sorry," Zayn said after a while.

"What? Why?"

"I fell apart, you shouldn't have to worry about me too." Zayn scratched his cheek nervously.

"What are you on about? You got him out almost alone, you went to look for Ed when neither of us could think of a way to help him. You were amazing."

"It's stupid."

"It's not stupid. It's normal. What isn't normal is that I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. We talked about this and I know why it's happening but we've never been here before. Do you want me to leave you alone? Talk incessantly? Hug you till you sweat? Anything. Everything. I promise."

Zayn turned to him with a small but real smile. "Stay there. You may kiss me."

"Oh I _may_."

"Yep."

So Louis did.

They moved so Louis was leaning against a tree and Zayn against him, pressing close.

"Tell me something," Zayn said then.

"Anything?"

"Hmm. Tell me why you miss Niall."

"Really, you want a rundown of our strange codependency?" Louis was surprised.

"I want to know why them, out of everyone you ever met."

And Louis felt his heart skip a beat. "I thought you, I mean, don't you like them too?" He knew Zayn hand't been playing nice just for Louis' benefit all this time.

"Of course I like them, I wouldn't have let you bring them here if I didn't. But I want to know why you do."

Louis sighed with relief. "Right." He hated putting things like that into words. But if that was what Zayn needed, he would talk about his feelings for three days without stopping.

"Let's see, Niall. Is this like a list? Should I just list it?"

"Any way you want, Louis."

He started petting Zayn's hair while he thought.

"Well, I've never seen anyone smile as much as he does. But he doesn't just do it to be polite, he genuinely thinks things are funny."

"You just like it because he thinks _you're_ funny."

"I'm hilarious. Which brings me to my other point, he's amazingly intelligent and perceptive."

"Mhm." Zayn didn't sound convinced, but his face looked a shade more relaxed than before.

"But mostly," Louis frowned, "I think we all need each other. Each of us has a purpose. Niall's is to make things lighter."

"What about the rest of us?"

"Hmm, well, your job is to keep me on my best behaviour, obviously." Louis ignored Zayn's mocking snort. "Liam is here to make sure we never trust anyone, and Harry's job is apparently to save our lives."

Zayn hummed in amused agreement before he poked him in the ribs, none too gently. "What about you then?"

"Isn't it obvious? My purpose is to annoy you all." Louis smiled at his own joke but it did bother him that he couldn't see why they would need him.

Zayn wasn't having any of that. He grabbed Louis' hand and wrapped their fingers together in that gentle way he had that always made Louis melt and feel embarrassed at the same time. "You could be what keeps us together," he finally said.

It felt like a weight instead of a privilege. "I don't know if I want that. How would I be able to tell when I was crossing lines?"

"You just said keeping you in check was my job."

Louis laughed so suddenly and loudly he almost woke Harry up.

"Niall and Liam will be free to leave soon," Louis reminded Zayn, "there is nothing for them here. I think Harry would stay, but those two have probably been dreaming about a life together for years now, I'm not gonna stand in their way."

Zayn sighed and made Louis look at him. "Stop trying to be noble, dragon, you're bad at it."

"I won't…"

"Stand in their way, yeah, got it. I'm not saying chain them to the cave, unless they ask nicely. But either tell them you want them to stay, or at the very least stop saying goodbye to them constantly. They ran away into the forest to escape their families forcing them into something, they won't have a hard time walking away from you if they want it. Giving them the option to stay isn't manipulation."

Zayn always made sense, but he couldn't forever live in Louis' head correcting his mistaken ideas. And Louis always, always worried he would start treating those he loved like objects to be collected.

At the moment though, talking about it seemed to get Zayn's mind off his memories, and Louis bent down to kiss him to celebrate.

-

"I should give you a massage," Louis said.

They took the boys back to the cave when the rain started pounding too hard. Neither of them looked like they would be up before morning and Zayn seemed better but Louis couldn't leave him alone.

Zayn took a long look at him, his face sceptical and smirking. He didn't say anything but he lay down on his front and crossed his arms under his face. Louis smiled behind his back because he knew the night wouldn't end how Zayn expected it to.

Louis sat astride him and wiggled his fingers. He was really good at this, mainly because he could get his fingers warm, and Zayn knew it.

He started high, at the nape, pressing lightly with his thumbs and just letting his fingers warm up. Then he spread out, over the shoulders and trapezius, followed the spine, careful not to tickle.

Zayn made a few happy sounds at first, but slowly Louis felt him relax and go quiet.

Louis knew he was half asleep by the time he started making his way back up, and when he was back at the nape Zayn was already lightly snoring.

He got up, carefully, doused the fire and made his way between them all. He wouldn't be able to fall asleep, kept thinking about Niall and Zayn's hopeful words earlier; but warm and comfortable between the three of them, he could close his eyes and pretend they were all together for a while.

-

He heard Harry stirring first so he wrapped around him quickly and started biting his shoulder. He had been awake all night and it made his thoughts a little scattery, made him a bit more needy than he usually was, and a bit more open about it. It never ended well but there wasn't much he could do about it.

Harry reacted incredibly well to it, though. He just reached out and pulled Louis close, kissed him hard. First thing in the morning and he was taking Louis' breath away. Louis wanted to scream his love through the forest but couldn't because Harry was pinning him down with his whole body.

‘He hasn't even opened his eyes yet,' Louis thought before Harry pushed his legs apart with his own and made himself comfortable there.

"Rude."

They both turned with eyes wide open at the sound of Liam's voice, still raspy from screaming and sleeping. Harry squealed happily and kneed Louis in the balls in his effort to jump on Liam and hug him. Louis couldn't even complain because he would have done the same if he had Harry's lack of coordination.

Harry's fingers were caressing Liam's face like he was examining him for injuries. "Are you okay? Do you still hurt?"

"I'm good," Liam said and smiled up at Harry who was kneeling over him. "I can feel Niall. Like," he touched his heart and rubbed at it, unable to finish the sentence. Louis grinned, happy that they had been right.

He wanted to jump over and give Liam as inappropriate a hug as Harry had, but he wasn't sure he would be that welcome. But Liam turned to look at him and waved him closer. Louis just rolled over until he could fit his face in the curve of Liam's shoulder.

"I remembered what you said," Liam said when Louis settled in. "I wasn't aware of much, except the pain, and then I thought I would die and I remembered you telling me I could break it. If I had someone else to bond to. So I found Niall."

Louis smiled and kissed the closest slow-healing scar on Liam's body. "Good."

"Thank you," Liam whispered and Louis felt it rush through him like a declaration of love.

Zayn came over to the other side of Liam and gave him a sleepy kiss and a smile. "Didn't Ed say just one person wouldn't be enough, though?"

Liam shrugged and Louis grumbled when it jolted his head. "I don't know, I mean, he's who I was focused on. Guess we'll find out? What is supposed to happen if I did it wrong anyway?"

"I think you lose control of your ‘wolf or something." Louis said, distractedly. He was keeping his eyes closed, reminding himself this was all perfectly normal. Niall was Liam's everything, and just because Louis wanted Liam to do some kind of romantic bonding with all of them didn't mean that was gonna happen, now or ever.

"That sounds like a pretty big deal," Liam snapped him out of his thoughts with a worried voice.

"No, we'll keep an eye on you, don't worry," Harry comforted him.

"Yeah," Louis agreed, "we'll take care of you."

Liam laughed a little and then started pushing them all off, saying his bladder was full and his muscles stiff, so they were forced to start the day.

-

Niall's presence was still missing, but things seemed less horrible, even if Louis spent most of the day avoiding everyone because he felt like too much even for himself.

He would have come back eventually anyway, it was his home, but just as he was busy setting rocks on fire and throwing them into the river, he got slammed into a tree by a very annoyed abarimon.

"Zayn?" He looked up, a bit scared but smirking not to show it.

"Enough. You're coming home and you're gonna stop. We talked about this yesterday, didn't we? About you saying goodbye to everyone all the time?"

"I'm not saying goodbye, what are you talking about?"

"You literally left, Louis."

Louis just rolled his eyes. He didn't have to explain himself.

"You think you can annoy me for years but then when it's their turn to suffer, you're gonna let them bask in the silence? I don't think so."

And that kinda hurt. He tried pushing Zayn away but he wasn't budging and Louis didn't want to hurt him with the dragon strength, but he really needed to not be that close.

"What do I do when you annoy me?" Zayn asked and Louis rolled his eyes, still trying to push away from the tree.

"You tell me to shut the fuck up."

"And do you?"

"No," Louis sighed in defeat.

"So do you just think there's something wrong with me for staying with you anyway, or do you think of these guys like Harry's flower petals, blowing in the wind, too delicate to handle you?"

Louis frowned. "Neither. What are you talking about?"

Zayn cupped his head and tilted it up so Louis had to look at him. He hated that Zayn kept doing that, especially since he was the taller one. "You are who you are. They can handle it. They will tell you when you're annoying and you'll learn to find a middle ground, like you did with me."

"I thought we just established that there was no middle ground between us?"

Zayn sighed and looked at him with pity, like Louis didn't know anything. "I figure out why you're being like that and I either talk you or fuck you through it. That's our middle ground."

"Oh," Louis said, and suddenly saw their life together in a whole new light. "I never noticed."

"That's how good I am."

Louis laughed and then choked because it had all been a little too much, for days now. "I'm terrified, Zayn, I'm in way too deep, what the fuck was I thinking?"

"You don't really think much, when you're in love, has been my experience."

Zayn held him close while Louis tried to clear his mind. When he finally felt like he could breathe again, Zayn messed it all up by kissing his neck and saying, softly, "I think this time you might need a little bit of both, actually. So why don't we get you well fucked too."

**

** Harry **

Harry had noticed the small, sometimes moving, carved animal figurines as soon as he and Louis came back from the trip, but he hadn't had time to pay them attention when everything started going horribly wrong. But since things were finally settling down, he took the time to sit next to Liam and watch him work.

It was wonderful, how he could take a piece of dead tree and create something completely different and just as beautiful as the living tree had been.

The thing he was working on now was made from a slightly larger piece of wood. It took Harry a while to figure out what it was and then he started laughing. "Is that Louis?"

Liam tilted the dragon to show off his half-finished wing. "I hope so. I haven't seen him in flight much but I guess it's close enough."

"He'll love it."

Liam shrugged like he didn't care but Harry saw the pleased smile he tried to hide.

"Where has Louis been all day?" Liam asked.

"I don't know, I think he was a bit upset over everything that's happened so maybe he just needed some time alone?" It didn't sound like Louis, to need time alone, but he was definitely still coming back from yesterday.

"Shit." Liam stopped working on the dragon and looked up at Harry. "That must have been horrible for you all, I'm so sorry."

Harry smiled because he knew Liam genuinely meant it. "Don't be silly. We were scared, but you were the one who went through the rough part. We're just glad you're alright now."

Liam nodded. "I've never had scars before." He looked down his arms.

"Do they hurt?"

Liam shook his head and picked up the dragon again. "They're okay, just sting a bit and heal slower than usually."

They heard Zayn and Louis coming, looked in their direction together and cracked up because Louis looked wrecked and Zayn smug and there was no hiding what had happened.

"Good work, Zayn!" Harry yelled and Louis stuck his tongue out at him.

He sort of collapsed between Harry and Liam with his toes under Liam's thigh and his head in Harry's lap. "Zayn was very mean to me, you should love me now."

"I do," Harry said with a smile and kissed his forehead, already pushing his fingers in Louis' overgrown hair.

Louis blinked at him, his mouth open on whatever he was going to say. He was lovely, Harry thought.

"What are you making?" Zayn asked, sitting next to Liam.

Louis suddenly sat up and poked at Liam. "Yes, what are you making, with your claws all out like that, werewolf art?"

Liam sort of growled at Louis but the dragon ignored him, getting his hands away from the block of wood. He paused with a very strange expression on his face when he saw it.

"It's fine if you hate it, I'm not making it _for_ you, I just get bored a lot," Liam said, even though everyone could hear he was absolutely not fine with it. He was back to carving the piece in his hands, but he was doing it with too much focus, his shoulders high and tight.

"Niall is charming those, right?" Louis asked out of nowhere.

"Yeah?"

"I can trade them if he makes them a bit lucky. Not that one, that one is clearly mine, but the elephants and the bunnies, I can trade those."

"You can?" Liam asked, not sounding convinced but clearly pleased about Louis claiming the dragon for himself.

"Leprechaun charms that don't look like a sack full of rotting grass? Yeah, I reckon I can do well with that."

"Oh… okay then." Liam shrugged.

Louis nodded and didn't say anything else for a really long time. Harry nudged him with his foot. Louis stopped Liam's hands again, almost getting cut in the process, and he fought his way into Liam's lap, kissing him over the figure hungrily, like he didn't just crawl out of the forest well used.

Then he reached out and grabbed Harry's hair, pulling him closer to them both and kissing him the same way.

"You are both horrible, the worst. It's not my fault, Zayn, you can see that now too, right?" he asked while switching between the two of them, kissing and biting and holding on tight to both of them.

Harry looked over to Zayn, and even though he was looking at them with a smile in his eyes, Harry felt exactly how much Niall was missing in that moment. Zayn shouldn't have looked _left out_.

Harry had been trying hard not to think about Niall leaving and whether or not he was coming back. He wasn't sure, if his family ever showed up and asked him to go with them, if he would be able to give them up again. He was happy for Niall, but he hated thinking about the choice Niall would have to make.

He got lost in thought and when he shook himself back to the moment, Louis and Zayn were arguing pointlessly back and forth, Louis still in Liam's lap, and Liam was just smiling at them, amused. Harry nudged him a little to get his attention.

"Hey, you can feel Niall now, right?"

Liam nodded and Louis stopped his reply to Zayn mid-sentence to listen in.

"Can you tell how he's feeling, is he happy?"

"Only if I really focus. Mostly I just feel that he's there, alive, I guess. You want me to try?"

Harry bit his lip. "If it's not a bother?"

Louis laughed. "I think after yesterday you get to bother him a little, Harry."

Liam looked up, puzzled, and they all realized at the same time he had no way of knowing what had happened yesterday. Harry wanted to pinch Louis.

"What do you mean?" Liam asked.

"Harry here kinda saved your life," Louis said in a gentle voice Harry hadn't heard before. "Zayn got you out in the forest, then Harry wrapped you in some bushes and did his magic."

Liam was looking between Harry and Zayn with his eyes wide now, and they were so close he could just reach out and hug them both close, thanking them quietly. Harry tried to explain he did if for himself, because Liam was important to him. They all just laughed.

"I'm not really sure what you did though," Louis told Harry. "We saw the growing bushes but what happened there?"

"I used the branches to channel the magic away from him. That's mostly it. It just drained the magic out and spread it around the forest until it became meaningless."

"That's some powerful magic," Zayn said.

But Harry shook his head, because he knew how much power he had on the river, and this took so much out of him, just asking the plants to help, basically, and he was so tired at the end of it. That wasn't impressive.

He still wanted to know about Niall so he asked again. Liam was hugging him and he nodded just before Harry felt the surge of power in him. Feeling someone's pack bond was beautiful, Harry decided. He wasn't sure if Louis and Zayn could feel it too but he hoped they could.

"He's doing well," Liam said, "he's happy and safe."

Harry heard Louis swallow and he knew why, those words didn't reassure anyone that Niall would be coming back. But there was something about Liam's voice, a happiness free of doubt, that calmed him down.

He messed with Louis' hair for a while to get him to smile and then pushed him down between them, so he and Liam could hold him down with their legs. He fought them off for a while but without any real effort behind it and finally calmed down when Liam tickled him.

With everything seemingly calm for a while, Harry remembered his promise to Naiba; but he wanted to wait for Niall so they could all agree to this together.

He got up then, tired of watching Zayn sit just a bit apart from everyone, and slotted himself in the space between Liam and Zayn.

"Do you think, when Niall comes back, we could go back to my forest for a while?"

Louis turned a little and poked him with a finger. "Yes. We'll get Niall to build us a dry spot, he's getting more powerful every day, it's scary."

Harry sighed happily. He had been missing his forest.

He pulled Zayn in for a kiss, realizing somehow they were never together like this before. Zayn's fingers were so gentle when they wrapped into his curls, Harry didn't know how he managed to push Louis around like he did. Then Zayn nipped and licked his lip quickly before opening his lips and licking in and Harry found himself melting into it, easily understanding why Louis couldn't defend himself against that.

"Wow, you are dangerous," he said, getting Zayn to laugh at him. "You should tell me all about what you did to Louis over there, and I'll tell you what I did to him on the river."

Zayn smirked, "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan."

-

Everyone woke up excited the day Niall was due back. They had a quick breakfast and as soon as they were done, they went to their usual meeting place.

Liam was getting more and more excited in a way that Harry hadn't seen him be before and it took him a while to realize he was channelling Niall's excitement too.

"Your bond with him is different than it was with your family," Harry noticed.

"I kept my family closed off, so they couldn't find us. With Niall I keep it open all the time and mostly it's like it's sleeping, but sometimes we look for each other and it wakes up and it's like he's standing next to me only... better."

"So he knows you're bonded too?"

"I think so," Liam said with a small frown and a shrug.

"That sounds really nice." Harry knew his voice was wistful. He wanted to be a part of a bond like that with these boys so badly.

Liam cuddled him closer like he understood.

Louis was all relentless chatter but he wasn't even asking them to join in, answering his own questions and even laughing at his own jokes until Liam kissed him too.

Then, one moment Harry was looking at Liam, thinking about how much more of himself he had been sharing since the bond with Niall happened, the next Niall was standing there and they were all running to hug him.

"I can feel you!" was the first thing Niall said and Harry saw Liam tear up a bit.

"Yeah, I can feel you too. My family is gone!"

Niall laughed with a hint of desperation and then he stopped, looking at Liam with a shocked face.

"Does that mean we are free?"

Liam nodded and looked at Louis with wet eyes.

And Harry, he hadn't realized until then that that was it, they could stop running now. Everything had changed when Liam broke that connection and Niall made peace with his family. He hadn't realized, but Louis must have.

Harry looked around. They were all sharing one hug with Niall and Liam in the centre of it, except for Louis who was there, but just a bit to the side, not really touching.

After Liam's confirmation, Niall turned to Louis who looked happy but unsure, his friendship with Niall still tender after everything. Niall looked at him for a long time before he threw his arms around Louis' neck. They all heard the "thank you" that made Louis crumble and finally grab him close.

"I'm sorry," Louis whispered and Niall shook his head.

"No, you were right. I shouldn't have been such a shit, I'm sorry. You did this, you fixed us."

Louis hid his face in Niall's neck and took a deep breath.

If Harry focused, he could feel all the magical bonds that were being created between them. Liam and Niall were just the most obvious one. But Louis was connecting to all of them too, in a way that wasn't usual for dragons. And even though none of the others made bonds naturally, Harry still felt their magic starting to mix and tangle.

Niall was asking about Liam's scars with a worried face, Louis was breathing in the smell of Niall's hair, different and sharp after his trip home, and Zayn was holding Niall's hand like he would never let go.

He could have stayed forever in that moment, feeling like a part of a family again.

-

Harry could see they were all being a little needy as they walked back to the cave, pressed close and listening to Niall's voice more than his actual stories. He'd had a good time at home, but he was back now and as petty as it was, it was obvious that was all they cared about.

And Niall was clinging to them just as strongly. Maybe the decision wasn't as hard as Harry thought it would be. Probably just knowing that he could see his family whenever he wanted to made it easier.

By the time they came near the cave Niall gave up on talking and started kissing everyone, one by one. "I missed you all," he said with a grin.

They didn't make it inside the cave. Niall kissed Liam and wouldn't stop until Louis pulled him back for a kiss of his own. It went downhill pretty fast from there. Zayn and then Harry wanted their own turns and by then Liam was starting to pout so Louis kissed him too.

Niall was the first to kneel down, getting his clothes wet before he made them disappear. He tugged Liam closer and smiled happily up at him before he took him in, easy and fast.

Harry had a moment to envy Liam before Louis and Zayn came at him from both sides and started taking him apart.

They made love there on the wet grass, listening to Niall laugh and tease them all.

**

** Niall **

It took Niall two days with his family to relax enough to trust they wouldn't stop him from leaving again. They were being so nice and understanding that he couldn't reconcile that with the image he had of the people he chose to run away from.

His mother spent a lot of time crying and hugging him, and his dad spent equally as much time pretending he didn't want to hug him as he did actually doing it. His brother held him so tight Niall felt his bones creaking. "I can't believe you'd fucking disappear like that, you little shit," he had said and then wiped at his tears furiously.

Niall had spent too much time with Harry so he just let his tears fall.

Being home felt so good, he didn't even question the parade of long distance relatives and friends when they started showing up, telling him how glad they were that he was back. He smiled and agreed because he was glad too.

He worried about Liam's parents showing up, but when he asked about them his family seemed to shut down.

"They moved away," his father said, "they won't be back."

Even his brother was keeping quiet about them, except to tell Niall they got the human police to stop looking for them. Niall frowned until he realized they probably achieved that the same way they got his family to stop talking about them. Bullying.

When all of that was over though and the visitors finally stopped coming, he sat down with his parents to ask them _why_ they had needed to control him so much, why they thought threatening him and Liam was the way to handle anything.

It was his mother's simple reply that brought him crashing back to the ground, from the high he had been on since he saw them.

"We were just trying to do what was best for you."

That wasn't an explanation, it was an excuse. He knew it was naive to hope for something else, for a spell that made them do it or Liam's family forcing them into it. But he was starting to make peace with the fact that he was just that naive and there was no disappointment big enough to destroy him.

In the end, he could either accept their apology or not. He didn't hate them, he too had made his own choices, so he hugged them and said it was alright. It wasn't a lie for their benefit, it was simply him realizing he didn't care enough to demand more. There was never any doubt in his mind that he would go back to Liam and the rest of the boys, but that lack of anything resembling a reason made him realize he wasn't missing out on much being away from home.

He loved them, in a way, but he loved his boys more.

The one person he could be open about all of that with was his brother. He had tried to reason with his parents even then. He covered for Niall more than once. He'd probably done more than that since. And what Niall got from him was understanding. He spent the rest of the week mostly with him, catching up on his life. Greg was in love, planning to get married, and wanted Niall there.

He had been with his brother, showing off his new powers, when he felt the punch to his lungs and the scream in his head that signalled Liam had bonded with him. He panicked until Liam's soothing voice in his head helped him realize what had happened.

His brother looked terrified and was about to call for help when Niall caught his hand, laughing as he realized what the bond meant.

"Guess I'm coming to your wedding," he said.

He never felt Liam as strongly and clearly again as he had in that moment, but it always felt like he was just there, sitting next to him and talking to Zayn about comics or pointedly ignoring Louis. It felt more like being home than being in his actual home had.

His parents tried, the last day, to bring up school, returning home for good, this time with Liam, a bright future still not lost. He shook his head, gave them all hugs, said he would come visit soon, and left. Somehow, he didn't tell them about the bond.

-

Being back, even with Liam scarred and healing slowly, felt like breathing fresh air after days of being in a closed room. He felt really bad about his fight with Louis and just wanted him to know everything had turned out well. He grabbed Zayn and kissed Harry and clutched Liam until they both hurt.

Touching Liam for the first time since the bond was created gave him an actual jolt of magic. He felt Liam's joy in his own heart and thought it echoed through all of them.

He knew he and Liam had big decisions to make, but they deserved a few days to just enjoy their freedom. Which was a feeling that hadn't really settled in yet.

So he went down on the rain soaked forest floor before they even reached the cave, greedy for them all. He tugged Liam close first and remembered how much fun everyone being naked could be when he could just open his mouth and take Liam in, no preparation. He sucked him slowly, feeling him fill up on his tongue, reminding himself that he could have this now - slow moments, long, drawn out sex, Liam's loud moans.

He heard Harry then and looked up, mouth still busy, to see him bracketed by Zayn and Louis. Zayn had an arm around his waist and his mouth on Harry's collarbone, while Louis played with the nipple that had barely healed, looking at it hungrily.

He had a feeling they hadn't done much since he'd been away and that somehow made him even needier.

He let go of Liam and reached out for Zayn instead, taking him in next, closing his eyes at how good it felt. When he opened them again they were all standing in front of him, watching and waiting. He liked that, it was the welcome he deserved.

He took them in one by one, getting them hard slowly, not bothered if he left them a bit desperate. Between the four of them, no one would get enough attention to feel really satisfied and for once, Niall enjoyed it. It made him feel like it was all about him.

Louis was, unsurprisingly, the first one to break. "You horrible tease," he said and started getting himself off, while everyone else just stroked themselves slowly, waiting patiently for Niall. Zayn and Liam grabbed both Louis' arms and pulled them back, perfectly coordinated.

"I think," Zayn said, "just for that, you don't get anything on the next two passes."

Niall smirked when he saw Louis' cock twitch at that. He nodded up at Zayn and took Harry back into his mouth, skipping Louis for the next two turns.

By the time he was back in his mouth, Louis was fully hard. Niall licked him from bottom to tip, making sure to slip his tongue under the foreskin. Then he moved on.

Louis cursed and doubled over, his arms still held back and Niall didn't even bother smirking at him before he choked on Harry's dick.

This time Zayn moved his head lower, had him play with his balls instead and Niall was learning to take Zayn's gentle instructions as well as Louis' orders.

"Louis," Harry piped up, "Niall is getting a bit worked up, go down and help him."

Niall wasn't sure what he expected, some kind of defiance or a sarcastic jab, but Louis just went down, on his back with his head between Niall's legs and took him in, mouth open and waiting. Niall started fucking into him, slowly, just letting off some pressure while he played with the others.

He checked every now and then but Louis stayed hard through it all, even though no one was touching him anymore.

Niall decided Liam would be the first to come. He sucked on his head while he wanked him fast and hard, the way he knew Liam loved and let him come into his mouth.

He did the same with Zayn and Harry and when he was done Louis' dick was red and bobbing above his belly, looking slick and needy, and his chest looked like an invitation to Niall. Liam leaned down to kiss him while Niall wanked himself fast, feeling Louis' tongue lick between his fingers on each pass.

When he came, he marked Louis from his neck down to his groin, long white stripes on his suntanned skin. Before he had time to take a breath, Louis reached up and tugged his hair, pulling Niall down towards his dick. "My turn."

Niall agreed. He followed Louis' hands and instructions perfectly, getting him off quickly, swallowing and keeping him in his mouth until Louis pulled him off, sensitive and panting.

"Welcome back," Zayn said.

Niall giggled, his face still on Louis' thigh.

"You need a wash," Harry told Louis, exhausted and amused.

"And I want Niall to eat me out and fuck me so we need that oil you mentioned once, Zayn," Liam said calmly and they all looked at each other and then him in shock, because that was really not Liam's usual sex talk.

"Wow, you broke his brain," Louis said.

"He's been away for a long time." Liam looked down at Louis as if daring him to complain.

Louis just spread his arms in surrender.

Niall giggled but cupped his balls to check how sensitive he was, how long it could take him to be hard again. Although, watching Liam get ready would probably help him get there.

-

To be honest, watching Liam prepare wasn't the hottest thing Niall had ever seen, but it wasn't the worst either. Zayn was pretty methodical about it, he took Liam out and had him lie on his front with his arse in the air, which was definitely amazing, and then he poured the liquid on Liam's arse and his fingers. Liam was red in the face and looking like he was regretting everything but when Zayn's finger slipped into him a few times, he started moaning and moving back to get it deeper quickly.

It felt strange, all of them just standing around looking at it, and it definitely made Liam more embarrassed, but watching the way Louis got harder and Harry started cupping himself made Niall feel better about how much he enjoyed the show.

Zayn calmed Liam's movements and told him to clench while he pulled his finger out. He leaned over and kissed Liam's trembling back.

"You can all leave now so I can explain to Liam what he has to do next. Go." Zayn said and no one dared to argue. As they were leaving, Niall caught just a bit of the instructions and it made him blush. Definitely not as hot as he thought it would be, but it wasn't making his dick lose interest either.

-

A long wait later, with his face buried in Liam's arse and his tongue in deep, he was very happy with the results. Liam was on his back and Zayn was not so much kissing him as keeping him quiet with his mouth, because Liam had gone from shy about expressing himself to outright shouting instructions in the few minutes it took Niall to open him up properly.

Louis bent down and started licking the tip of Liam's dick and it took Niall a while to realize Harry was holding him there.

Liam came too quickly for any of them to be ready for it. He sobbed into Zayn's mouth, spread his legs wider and just spurted right on Louis' tongue.

Niall pulled away, kissing a cheek gently and heard Zayn ask Liam if he was too sensitive to get fucked. Niall knew he had to be, but he shook his head anyway and turned on his side, one leg pulled up and opening his arse to them.

Niall knew he wasn't the only one who wanted it, but he got to be the first. He pushed in slowly, feeling Liam tremble around him, but when he paused, unsure, Liam reached behind and pulled him closer.

He kept his pace slow anyway, dipping in gently, pulling all the way out and opening him up again. Liam wasn't speaking, just breathing heavily and pushing his arse out every time Niall pulled back.

When he was finally all the way in, Niall just fell over Liam's body for a moment, trying to remember the last time they did this. Liam was hot and tight around him, trembling and twitching and Niall wanted to stay inside forever. But, he wanted them all to share Liam even more.

So he fucked him slowly a few times, enjoying the silky heat and the noises Zayn's slick made while he moved and then he pulled out, ignoring Liam's needy whine and motioning Harry closer.

**

** Liam **

Liam's body felt like he was swimming in hot water, feeling every touch ten times more than usually. He wasn't getting harder again anytime soon, but feeling Niall move inside him was more than enough.

He whimpered when Niall pulled out and then again when he realized what was happening. His eyes were closed so he didn't know who it was, but someone else was sliding into him. He reached out and grabbed someone's hand, then felt warm lips kiss his back and he stopped being aware of the noises he was making. The dick inside him was longer but thinner, just as slow, opening him up patiently. Another one came after, thick, teasing his rim with a wide head. Then another, even slower, just pulsing inside him for a long time after it bottomed in.

They took turns like that for a long time, never fast or hard, but still so good on his tired body. They weren't touching him anywhere else anymore and he was grateful because it would have been too much. It almost was, anyway.

He didn't realize someone came inside him until he heard the next person comment on how wet it made him. Liam shivered. It didn't take long after that for all of them to come, and he could feel it now too, the wetness inside him and between his cheeks, spilling between his thighs.

He heard Zayn tell someone, probably Louis, to clean him up, and then there was an eager mouth on him, but the stubble was too sharp on his skin and it made him cry out. After that, all he could feel was the tongue, slowly cleaning him everywhere. He couldn't imagine Louis being that patient, but when Zayn, Harry and Niall all came to kiss him and tell him how amazing he was, he knew it could only be Louis.

Whatever happened next, Liam couldn't follow, his body was happily tired and tingly and he just wanted them all close to him. He was pretty sure they all piled around him when he told them that, but he fell asleep before he could check.

-

He woke up with Niall's blonde hair in his face and smiled.

"Hey, wake up."

Niall grumbled but opened an eye.

"You're back."

"With a bang," Louis added from somewhere behind Liam, making Niall giggle sleepily.

"He's really not _that_ funny," Liam told Niall, but he just got a shrug for his trouble.

"How was home?" Liam asked the question he was a bit scared to, earlier.

Niall frowned and made himself comfortable on Liam's shoulder. When he started speaking, it was too quiet for the others, except probably Louis, to hear.

"They are sorry, but I don't think they even know what they should be sorry for. They keep apologizing for trying to keep me away from you but that wasn't the problem? The fact that they tried to take me out of school and thought they could manipulate my entire life to get me away from you was. And they don't even seem to get it."

"I'm sorry," Liam said.

Niall just shrugged. "I think that, because they don't live in the forest, they keep trying to prove themselves to other leprechauns, that they haven't abandoned the old ways or something. For the first few days I was there, we had this parade of forest creatures – half of who chased us at one point, by the way – coming over to tell me how happy they were we had fixed it all. Like, how did they even find out if my family didn't invite them all?"

"That doesn't sound like it was fun at all," Liam noticed.

"It was good seeing them, just, family, I guess, but it wasn't all I hoped it would be."

He hugged Niall closer for comfort but Niall slapped him on the arm gently. "Still better than what's happening with your family so don't even try to make me feel better."

Liam swallowed. "Did you hear anything about them?"

"No, my family didn't mention them _at all_ , and when I asked they just said they weren't there any more."

"I worry that, even though the pack bond is broken, they will try to find me, just for revenge or something."

"Yeah, I, I asked Ed about that," Niall confessed. "He said he would let us know if he heard anything."

Liam smiled into his hair, "That's good then."

"And what did you all do without me?" Niall asked, changing the subject to something Liam felt better talking about.

-

The next day, Zayn and Liam went hunting. Usually they just got something small, a meal for each of them, but a few times they caught a deer and then they would all eat together. Zayn also smoked a lot of it and stored it for later, which was easy to do with a dragon on hand.

Niall went with Harry to get their own food and they left Louis pouting because he had to clean up the smoking room for when they brought the meat.

Liam loved hunting with Zayn. They were both fast and used the same methods for hunting. They were quick and efficient and didn't play with their food.

This time a pretty big stag caught their attention and with winter coming, they wanted to start saving some food, so they went for him.

It was going pretty well, until the stag realized it was over and decided to at least take someone with him. His antlers weren't too big, but with his full strength and speed behind them, they could do a lot of damage.

Liam saw him stop running away from them and turn towards Zayn in what seemed like slow motion. He had all the time in the world to roar his warning to Zayn and thought he would be on the stag any second, but somehow it wasn't enough. Zayn was at full speed too and when he and the stag collided, Liam heard a bone breaking just before Zayn screamed his pain through the forest.

Liam felt it, his ribs aching like he was the one hit and he thought "shit" before he opened his jaws and killed the stag.

He left the animal there and turned were' to go check on Zayn. He was lying on his side, trying to catch his breath and not doing a very good job of it. Liam helped him turn a bit until he was finally able to start taking full breaths.

"Something broke," Liam said, unsure if Zayn should be moving.

"I think it's just cracked, but we need to get up and start moving before…"

But it was too late, a dark shadow was over them and then gone as Louis turned from dragon to himself mid-flight so he could fall between the thick branches above them. He landed on his arse but came back up in a second and ran to Zayn. "What happened, are you okay?"

"My ribs. Hunting accident." Zayn smiled through clenched teeth but Louis didn't look amused.

"That's not funny."

"Neither is you flying in the daytime, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking you were in trouble, _again_ , and I needed to help you."

"I have Liam here," Zayn said.

Liam may have expected Louis to blame him for the accident, probably because he was blaming himself, but Louis threw him a fond smile before he told Zayn that Liam couldn't carry him through the whole forest alone.

The walk back was long, mainly because Zayn wouldn't leave the stag behind, so they had to support Zayn and carry or drag the stag at the same time. And Zayn was walking very, very slowly.

All the way back, Liam could feel his ribs aching, unless he closed his pack bond completely.

-

There was no way Zayn was going to make it up to the cave. He couldn't even climb dragon Louis to be carried there.

Niall and Harry were still away - Louis only knew Zayn was hurt because of their own bond - so they had to improvise a shelter at the bottom of the cliff until Zayn got well enough to climb up. Zayn claimed it would be a day at most, Louis frowned and shook his head.

Liam remembered the shelter Niall had made for Zayn when they were alone and told Louis to stay while he went to look for them.

Louis sat down next to Zayn and held his hand even as the abarimon rolled his eyes. "You need to stop almost dying, I really don't appreciate it. You don't consider my feelings at all," Louis said mockingly and Liam actually chuckled before he left.

Tracking Niall and Harry, even with the bond, was easier as ‘wolf, so he turned and ran, following his nose and instinct. They followed him back quickly when he explained and soon they were all sitting around Zayn, touching him gently and cooing at him. Liam stood a little bit behind them and grinned at Zayn because abarimon and werewolves knew hunting injuries intimately, and they weren't anything to coo over.

The first time Liam broke a clavicle, his father bought him a beer. Liam flinched when he remembered because things like that tended to open the bond but when nothing happened, he realized he could finally think about his family without being a danger to everyone around him.

His father bought him a beer and clapped him on the shoulder, calling him a real werewolf. Liam was so proud, even though he had no idea what it meant, if there were fake werewolves somewhere.

Liam was pretty sure his father didn't consider him a real werewolf any more. Maybe not since the first time he'd smelled Niall on him.

Louis was explaining to Niall what they needed him to do and Liam felt a little bit of Niall's anxiety run through him.

"I want to try something else, if that's okay with you, Zayn," he said.

Zayn shrugged but Louis asked "What?" and Liam thought that explained their relationship perfectly.

"I think I can heal the bone," Niall said. "Or help it heal faster. I've been practicing on myself a bit, just, trying to get inside and feel what I'm made of. It's pretty hard to do it that way, but I think I could do better with someone else."

Again, Zayn just nodded and said, "Okay," while Louis started asking question after question that Niall couldn't really answer because he had never done it before.

"This doesn't feel safe," Louis concluded.

"I'm not going to hurt him, if I get stuck I'll stop."

Louis had more to say but Zayn tugged on Niall's shirt and told him to do it.

They all took a step back when Niall put his hands gently on Zayn's chest and Louis grabbed both Harry and Liam and held their hands tight. Liam had faith in Niall but he was still worried about Zayn, so he just stood closer to Louis and let him squeeze his fingers painfully.

Zayn's face was tight, his teeth clenched but he wasn't making a sound. Niall was muttering to himself but he seemed to just be explaining to himself what he was doing. Maybe to Zayn too, if Zayn could hear him.

"All right, there it is, the fracture," Niall said and licked his lips, getting ready.

Liam couldn't usually pick up people's magic but he felt both of them inside him this time, Zayn's pulsing ribs and the magic pouring out of Niall.

The pain didn't stop, but it became dull, like the pain of a wound healing rather than an open one. He smiled just as Niall finally dropped his hands away and took a deep breath.

"I think I did it," Niall said with a huge grin that didn't look at all unsure.

Louis sat down by Zayn again and poked at his ribs until he was sure, then he leaned over Zayn and kissed Niall brutally while Zayn thanked him.

**

** Zayn **

Zayn's whole chest still hurt, but he knew nothing was broken any more. It would just take a bit for the bruises to go away. He stretched slowly and looked up at everyone staring at him.

"I don't know how I feel about giving you all a free show."

"You should feel really good," Harry said.

He lifted a leg to push Harry away with his foot but Liam ended up catching it in his hand. He tickled the sole of his foot and then just held it for a moment.

"I always forget your feet are reverse," Liam said.

"Your feet are reverse," Zayn countered.

It got him a startled look from Liam and then a small smile. "Yeah, I guess they are."

He tugged Liam closer until he sat over Zayn's stomach, both of them ignoring Louis' flailing.

They'd had a good hunt and no time to celebrate it, they really needed to fix that. He pulled Liam down and licked his lip.

"You'll have to be gentle with me today," he said.

Liam smirked at him in a way that he never did with anyone else and swooped down to kiss him hard, grabbing a wrist to hold over Zayn's head.

"Guys, no! There's an animal corpse like, right next to you, what are you doing?!" Niall cried near them, but if Liam was happy to ignore him, Zayn could grab Liam's arse with his free hand and push him down against his cock with a clear conscience.

They heard Niall and Harry pull Louis away and yell at them that they weren't participating. It was fine with Zayn because they weren't in the hunt anyway.

He wasn't joking when he said Liam would have to be gentle though, his chest burned every time Liam touched it, and he wasn't as into pain as Harry.

So Liam just slid down, spread Zayn's legs on his shoulders so he was comfortable and took him straight into his mouth, not even remotely teasing. It wasn't as quick and intense as the adrenalin release after a good chase would have been, but it was a celebratory fuck anyway and Zayn got to come down Liam's throat so he counted it as a good one.

-

The others came back with the rest of the food some time later, when Zayn and Liam were almost done skinning the stag. They were doing it closer to home than normal but it was going to rain again in no time, so all the blood would get washed away. Niall and Harry still made faces at them while Louis rubbed his belly telling them it smelled nice.

They had it all ready by the time Louis got the fire going and when they sat down to eat, Zayn realized that the calm, lazy feeling inside him was just his whole family being together again.

He didn't really believe any of them would leave. He knew Harry was theirs forever now, but Niall and Liam had had a very different life before they ended up in the forest and maybe they would want to go back to it. But he couldn't imagine Liam not hunting or Niall hiding his magic; both of them trying to blend in with humans. Zayn read a lot of books and had a pretty good understanding of schools and offices, and he didn't think Liam or Niall would enjoy either, even if Niall still wore clothes most of the time.

But maybe they would want to give it a try.

He spent a lot of time looking at them, trying to remember what they looked like in the sunshine and wet from rain, smiling or arguing, how they moved and how they stood still.

He drew them a lot, when he could catch a moment, hoping that if they left, he would have those drawings to remind him.

He wanted to ask them to pose for him, but the question sounded too strange in his own head.

Still, his room in the cave was now filled with drawings and sketches of all of them, sometimes just standing, but often kissing or sleeping tangled or making love.

And despite the privacy of the room and Louis' general respect for his personal possessions, he wasn't surprised when Louis sat next to him, while Niall and Liam explained modern music to Harry, and told him he had seen the drawings. Zayn just shrugged, wondering what Louis saw in them but a little scared to ask.

"You told me to stop saying goodbye, but what do you call that?"

"That's just in case."

"Do you think they will?"

Zayn shook his head. He really didn't. "No. I'm just afraid they might. But when I see them like this, I think they fit so well, why would they ever want to leave?"

"No, no, here's a song that was popular before we left!" Niall told Harry.

Liam groaned and tried to stop it. Zayn understood why when it turned into horrible repetitive shit and even Niall's sweet voice couldn't make it sound better.

When he was done, Liam said, "And here's a song that should have been popular instead," and started singing a much better song. His voice was amazing and went really well with the words which, unlike the last song, had a real meaning.

Harry seemed to like it too, he wanted Liam to teach him and it left Niall pouting because apparently no one appreciated real pop music any more.

Then Harry sang something his family used to sing together any they all sat a little bit closer, asking him to teach them until they could all sing it.

They all had beautiful voices, in Zayn's opinion, but more importantly, they fit together perfectly.

He tried not to find meaning in that but he always looked at life through all kinds of art and this was no different. Why would they ever be apart if they could create beautiful things like this together?

-

That night in the cave Louis kissed his bruises and asked him what he wanted.

"I think," he said after some thought, "I should thank Niall, properly." So far most of their interactions when it came to sex were him telling Niall what to do, or the blowjobs Niall gave them when he came back.

Niall was already making his clothes disappear and grinning. Zayn didn't feel comfortable holding himself up yet but he waved Niall over and turned to the side so they could kiss. He could hear the others starting their own thing, even see a bit over Niall's head, but that was just wonderful background noise to the way Niall's fingers felt on his back, the way his nipples went hard under Zayn's teeth. He was so responsive even when Zayn wasn't asking him to do anything.

He already knew how he wanted to end this, so he made sure Louis brought the slick he needed, but first he really wanted Niall's cock in his mouth. He got Niall to kneel over his head until he could get that cock deep into his throat without injuring either of them.

Niall smiled while Zayn licked the tip, getting a taste of it and then outright laughed when Zayn took him deeper. The laughter was making Zayn feel giddy too, and he ended up sucking him much longer than he'd planned to.

Niall was flushed red, sweating and cursing when Zayn finally reached out for the slick. He spilled it down between his thighs while Niall watched curiously. Normally he would have to turn on his stomach but his chest wasn't up for it yet so he turned to the side, facing the others and closing his thighs.

Niall got it without Zayn telling him a single word because he was behind him in the next moment, wrapping an arm carefully around his stomach and sliding his cock between Zayn's thighs.

"You know how to thank a bloke," Niall said into his ear with a smile before he started moving slowly.

Across from them was a completely different scene, with Louis slapping Harry's hard dick and trembling while Liam played cruelly with his balls.

Zayn threw his head back and got a kiss before he dragged Niall's hand to Zayn's slippery cock.

"Shit you feel so good, I never tried this before, how is it so good?" Niall asked and gripped him a bit too tight, his voice breaking.

They fucked in silence for a while, watching Louis' slaps get harder and louder as Liam's fist on his balls squeezed tighter.

"Harry, mate, how do you do it?" Niall called over, but Harry just threw his head back and moaned louder on the next slap.

That was when Louis bent down and wrapped his teeth around the head of Harry's cock and started squeezing. Everyone else in the room winced in sympathy but Harry screamed and started coming in Louis' mouth.

Niall changed the angle a little so his cock started pushing against Zayn's balls and it was making Zayn shiver.

Liam was asking Louis if he wanted to come tonight and Louis was nodding desperately while Harry lay under them, spread open and catching his breath.

With a wink in Zayn's direction, Liam told Louis to go open his mouth under Zayn's dick and wait.

"Don't swallow until I let you."

Louis nodded and did what Liam told him. Zayn smiled down at him and made sure his cock brushed against Louis' open lips and tongue as much as possible.

"Oh, that's too much," Niall said and started pressing quick kisses to Zayn's back before he came with a grunt, grabbing Zayn's hip to keep him steady while he rode the orgasm.

Zayn saw Liam smiling at them and nodded down at Louis, still patiently waiting. Niall started moving his hand again, quickly over the rim of Zayn's cockhead. He came relaxed, looking down as his come fell into Louis' open mouth.

Liam sat down across Louis' hips, grabbing both of their cocks in one hand and wanking them fast. Louis couldn't move or breathe deeply in case he swallowed or spilled the come, so he just lay there with his mouth open, come on display.

Liam came first, arching over Louis's smaller body and painting his belly white. Louis still didn't move. Zayn was so proud of him he needed to join in. He couldn't move much but he slid down enough to start playing with Louis' balls, licking and sucking, making his entire body tremble.

"You can only swallow," Liam said, "just before you come. So be careful about that."

He stopped wanking Louis and just ran his fingers up and down Louis' hard cock, letting Zayn do what he wanted under it.

It took much longer than Zayn thought it would for Louis to finally swallow and start coming under Liam's teasing fingers.

He was gasping for air when he was done and Niall, Liam and Zayn all bent down to pet and kiss his sweaty hair and call him good and beautiful.

When they looked over, they saw Harry fell asleep with his legs wide open and they all giggled while pressing close to sleep around him.

Zayn noticed the habits they were falling into, in life and sex. They were all different in each relationship and they could each be something else to someone else. He didn't want to let that go.

**

** Louis **

Louis would later swear he felt it the moment he woke up, what a horrible day it would be.

They were planning to move down to Harry's forest and were using his bags for things they would need if they stayed longer, when he heard the footsteps.

He'd never quite learned how his mother always got into his territory in the middle of the day and he was pretty sure he didn't want to know. But she was here now and there was no way to hide any more.

He ignored everyone's curious looks as he stood in the entrance to his cave with his arms crossed. His mother climbed up and kissed his cheek, ignoring his mood.

"Mother. Wasn't it my turn to visit you?" he asked as she walked right by him to give Zayn a hug.

"It was, but I heard you had guests and I wanted to meet them for myself. I am your mother, you know."

"I can't forget, is the problem. Who did you hear it from, exactly?"

Louis ignored the tension as everyone waited to be introduced and Niall, who kept looking at the ceiling, flushed red.

"From a friend."

"You have no friends."

She chuckled. "Oh, I have friends, darling."

"Mum," Louis whined, "please tell me you're not ‘friends' with Red Ed?"

His mother shrugged and like a starved hawk turned straight on Niall. "Hello darling, what's your name?"

"Um, I'm Niall, ma'am."

"Lovely to meet you, Niall. Are you a leprechaun?"

Niall was close to bursting into flames, if the shade of red he had turned was any indication.

"And you? Oh you're a nymph, how lovely."

"Hello, I'm Harry. I _am_ a nymph. I just can't believe you're not one too."

Louis gagged.

"I'm Liam."

His mother took a sniff in his general direction, very rude, and looked back at Louis sharply. "A werewolf. How interesting."

"Is it? It seems perfectly boring to me. Everyone, this is my mother, she's just leaving."

Zayn shook his head. "Would you like something to drink, eat?" he offered.

His mother smiled sweetly at him. "A tea please. Any. And the rest of you can call me Jay, it's wonderful to meet you all."

Louis rolled his eyes and went back to putting his berries in a bag.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes," Harry replied, "we're all moving down to my land, we've been here for a while and I miss my home."

"Oh, you share land?"

"Is that interesting too?" Louis spoke from the bag he was trying to lose himself in.

"I would say it's interesting a dragon would leave his cave empty and go away for days, wouldn't you, Zayn?" she asked.

Harry made a distressed sound at that. "Is it a problem? That we're moving? I mean, we don't have to?" He sounded desperate and Louis was really not that attached to this cave.

"No, she's old and senile, ignore her," Louis answered.

His mother sighed patiently. "Nothing is a problem when it comes to love, Harry."

Louis gave up and fell on the ground, waiting for the day to end.

-

Of course everyone loved her. His mother was kind and loving and sweet. The world loved her.

But she spent her entire life waiting for him to become a real dragon and all he ever did was disappoint her. He didn't want to do that anymore, and he _really_ didn't want to disappoint her in front of other people he loved.

"Liam and Niall. I heard about you. I'm glad there is finally peace with your families."

Liam looked up at that. "Um, well. Niall made up with his family, but I just finally broke the bond with mine."

"That is incredibly hard," Jay glanced at Louis, "but for what it's worth, I heard they called off everyone who was looking for you. Whatever it was, it is done now."

"That's… thank you. I wasn't sure," Liam and Niall exchanged looks and small smiles. Louis was happy for them, really, he was.

His mum nodded at Liam. Louis could tell something was bothering her and he waited for it to come out.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" She addressed that to both Niall and Liam and yeah, Louis was definitely never getting off the floor. He took the tea Zayn offered him and placed it by his head. It could wait.

They must have both nodded or shrugged because she continued quickly. "The story I, and most of my friends, heard, was that you two escaped because you weren't allowed to be together. That, if you don't mind me saying, seems a bit childish."

"That's just the too short version," Niall said.

"It wasn't so much that they didn't want us to be together," Liam continued for him, "it's how far they were willing to go to make it happen."

"There was something intense about it. And I think the way they've been acting since we left only proves that."

"Do you think there was magic behind it?" Jay asked.

"I used to hope there was," Niall said, "but after speaking to my family, no, that's just how they are."

"I'm so sorry, love," his mother told them both. "I'm glad you found a place to settle down now."

And straight through the heart, Louis thought.

She moved the conversation onward, asking all kinds of less intrusive questions, and it was going marginally good until she started flirting with Harry. And he with her. It was so obvious and outrageous that even Liam was starting to notice. He was looking at Louis with a small frown on his face and all Louis could do was shrug because how was he supposed to stop that tragedy from happening?

"I heard a lot of things about you, nymph. Everyone seems to be afraid of you, but you look like a mischievous boy rather than an evil old nymph."

"Oh, I'm really not that scary. I think I just scared some creatures when I first moved in. Was a bit… unwell, then."

Jay nodded and Louis hoped with all he had that was a _motherly_ look of sympathy she gave Harry.

"But you're better now?"

"Yeah." Harry blushed a little, ducking his head, the horrible charming bastard. "These boys helped me a lot, being with them is like having best friends and a family."

She definitely melted at that, but it was forgivable because they all did. Zayn ended up ruffling Harry's hair and then they sat hand in hand until it was time for her to go.

"Walk your old mother out, Louis," she told him after she hugged everyone.

-

"You're doing well," she told him when they were alone.

Louis shrugged, he was.

"Are you happy?"

"Yes."

"Louis, honey, look at me."

And he couldn't say no to his mum like that so he did.

"I saw Zayn holding hands with Harry. I know you. Whatever is going on, _all_ I want is to know you're happy."

"I am. I know it's not… like you want me to be, but I am."

"I want you to be a dragon because that's what you are. Trying to choke those instincts, it's not good for you."

"I'm doing alright without collecting anything though, I am," he tried to explain, feeling frustration come over him. He was happy, this time really. Or, he would be if Liam and Niall stayed.

His mum laughed softly. "Oh I don't know, they're not easy to collect but it does look like you have a set."

She knew him much too well. They hugged before she left, straight for the pixie territory, where Ed lived, which Louis was refusing to think about.

-

He came back to the cave to find that they were all packed and ready to go. Then he spent the entire trip down to Harry's home listening to all of them explain to him why he had to be nicer to his mother.

He tried to explain that was just how they always were, she knew he loved her, but when he thought about it from their perspective, he knew they were right.

**

** Harry **

Harry started touching his trees the moment they walked into his forest. He was so happy to feel them again, strong and thriving. They had so much to tell him, and he to them. It was love and acceptance and he pushed as much as he could back, all the feelings he knew would make them happy.

He spent the entire first evening just checking to make sure everything was alright, that they were all still alive and his.

He even abandoned the others to sleep inside his tree for a night. He'd missed it too much.

The second day, after Liam made him eat something, he visited some of his favourite places and plants, helped them grow higher, spread wider. They were all beautiful and filled him with so much joy that he spent the whole day walking around with a ridiculous smile.

He calmed down enough by that evening to go check on what were technically his guests.

They had been missing him, it seemed, because they grabbed him the moment he came close enough and hugged and tickled him until he begged them to stop.

-

He caught Niall practicing his magic a little bit later. He had his arms up and he was making the branches move. It took Harry a while to realize that what he was actually doing was creating a little storm under the tree.

"That is amazing," Harry said then.

Niall nodded. "Not to be arrogant but, I think so, I worked really hard on this."

"What you did with Zayn was pretty amazing too."

That got Niall's arms down. "I wasn't sure I could do it, really, but… I had a lot of time to practice at home and I think that's the most important thing my magic can do. Make healing faster."

Harry agreed. He kissed Niall's cheek and told him to continue. He watched him practice until the others surrounded them and made them stop.

They didn't let him leave again and they spent the evening mostly singing and teasing each other.

The way Harry felt that night, it was as close to perfection as he knew how to get. The only thing he was getting tired of was not knowing. So he decided they had to clear that up quickly. He was almost certain they would stay anyway.

-

"I'm calling a group meeting today!" Harry yelled as soon as everyone was free the next day.

"What's that?" Liam asked.

Louis groaned. "No, I don't want group meetings to become a thing!"

"I like it," Niall said.

"I always liked you best, Niall," Harry said and ignored indignant squeaks from the others. "A group meeting, where we, as a group, talk about important things." Like Naiba, Harry thought, and then inevitably, would Liam and Niall stay or not.

Liam frowned and Harry probably shouldn't have found it so funny that he and Louis were finally agreeing on something.

"Should we do it now?" Zayn asked.

"If everyone has time, sure."

"I don't have time," Louis said and started walking away, but Zayn grabbed him and tugged him back. Louis pouted and crossed his arms but stayed put.

"Because I called this, I will start it. When Louis and I were travelling, we met an irshi whose girlfriend is human…"

"Wait, what?" Louis interrupted and Harry was going to scold him, when he saw that Louis was honestly confused.

"Naiba's girlfriend is human."

"I… alright." Louis looked a little hurt. Harry learned on their trip that the dragon didn't always have the best relationship with other creatures, but he didn't think Naiba was hiding this from him, specifically. It was just hard for her to talk about it to anyone. Zayn was holding Louis closer though, so Harry let him work through it on his own.

"They are thinking about turning her." Harry looked at Liam at this point, trying to judge his reaction carefully. "Maybe werewolf."

Liam was surprised, but not disgusted or angry which made Harry happy. He had hoped Liam wouldn't be into _purity_.

"They need someone to turn her but who wouldn't try to keep her bonded. And someone to teach her how to be a werewolf without hurting anyone."

Liam nodded, understanding Harry's question. "I need to think about it. It's a… big commitment."

"It would also take time," Zayn said.

Liam and Niall looked at each other and nodded. Harry wished he knew what they were thinking.

"Yeah," Liam agreed. "We've been here for a really long time now and, well, we really like it."

Harry heard everyone else holding their breath as much as he was.

"We never planned to move into someone's territory, even though it can't really be avoided, I guess."

"We want to stay, if that's okay with you," Niall picked up when Liam started looking too apologetic, "but we need time to talk about it which, we haven't really done these past few days." Niall blushed a bit and despite his words, they all laughed.

"We haven't been free to choose since this all started and we want to make sure we are doing the right thing, whatever we do," Liam explained.

Harry swallowed and nodded. He understood. "I'd love it if you stayed," he told them instead of asking for more.

"I want you to stay," Louis suddenly said, too loudly. They all turned to stare at him and he ignored them, looking mainly at his feet. He continued quietly, "If it matters. I want you to stay."

They all remembered Louis explaining why that was such a hard thing for him to say and Harry knew they all loved him even more for doing it anyway.

Zayn placed a hand on his shoulder gently and didn't let Louis move it. "Good," he just said.

"Of course it matters, mate," Niall said and reached over Liam and Zayn to give Louis a hug.

Harry smiled at Liam in a way that he didn't think was very sad, but Liam apparently disagreed because he gave him a hug of his own. "We just need a bit of time. Not a lot, I promise," he whispered to Harry.

"Take all the time you need. I just want to know you're alright."

Louis broke them all up in the end, yelling, "This was a horrible idea, Harry, horrible. I declare this meeting over now!"

**

** Niall **

Niall found Liam by the river, a few hours after the "group meeting". He sat down and leaned into Liam.

"So who should go first?"

Liam laughed a bit, quiet, like he had been often these days. "I think I should."

"Okay?"

"So." He looked away. "I think you might not be the only one I bonded with?"

"Um, you think?" Niall asked.

"I thought it was just you at first, because I couldn't feel anyone else. I still can't, not like I feel you, but… I felt Zayn when his rib cracked. And I'm pretty sure I felt Harry come once."

He blushed at that last one and Niall had to fight not to giggle. "You don't sound happy about it."

Liam snorted. "I just replaced one bond with another. You and Harry keep saying we're free now. But I'm just tying us down again."

"It's not the same." It upset Niall that Liam would compare the people or the situations.

"Not the same, but still not freedom. Even if we go away, I will always be partially tied to them."

Niall bit his lip, worried now. "Does that really bother you so much?"

Liam tilted his head, his cheek on his bent knees, thinking about it. "I don't mind that it's them. I mind that I had no say in it."

"It's werewolf nature."

"I know."

"But we can still leave, if you want to." Niall very much didn't, but Liam was right, what good was freedom if you couldn't experience it when you wanted to.

"I don't think…" Liam cringed. "I don't think I want to leave."

Niall could feel the smile explode over his face. "Good. ‘Cause I don't either."

"No?"

"No." Niall thought about it for a bit. "So is that our first free choice then? Do nothing?"

Liam cracked up and threw an arm around his shoulder. "I guess. Wow, we are wild."

"I think the others will be happy."

Liam nodded but then looked at him, serious. "I don't want to tell them about the bond yet."

"Liam, we just agreed a week ago we weren't going to keep secrets."

"It's not a secret, I'm just not sure yet."

That was such a lie Niall couldn't keep a straight face through it.

"Fine, I'm sure, but I want them to know that's not the only reason we're staying and if I'm gonna convince them, I need to believe it first."

"You love them."

"I know," Liam said, "just give me a day. I need to sort it out a bit. Please?"

"A day. But trust works both ways so don't be an arsehole."

Liam nodded gratefully.

"And this woman and her girlfriend?"

"I don't know. It's a lot of responsibility."

Niall thought back to his fantasies, just a few weeks ago when he thought none of this was possible. "You know, I thought about something similar, a while ago."

Liam looked at him, curious.

"Just, the idea of helping creatures who are in trouble, like we were. Harry's forest is huge. Louis' is smaller but together they make a good chunk of well protected land. Not just anyone would dare to walk in, like we did."

They both smirked at that.

"We could help. Maybe she would be a good start?"

Liam nodded. "That sounds good. I wasn't just stalling when I told Harry I needed to think about it though. I really do."

"You do that," Niall said with a smile, pretty sure he knew what Liam's decision would be. Liam never took the easy route.

-

The next morning Niall woke Zayn up before anyone else. It got him some grumbling but eventually Zayn stood up and looked almost awake. Niall motioned for Zayn to follow him, quietly. He was pretty sure at least Liam woke up to their noise so he just told him where they were going, so no one worried, and dragged Zayn away.

"Why are you torturing me?" Zayn asked when he woke up enough to speak, about half way through their long hike.

"I want to show you something. And ask you a question. And I'm not sure the others should know about it yet because they are a bit sensitive, sometimes."

"And I'm not?" Zayn asked, clearly amused.

"You would survive if we left," Niall half explained.

"Ah, so that's what this is about."

"Yeah."

They walked in silence for a bit longer before Zayn said, in a voice almost as slow as Harry's, "I do care about you, you know?"

Niall turned to look at him and then stopped when he noticed how sad Zayn looked. "Shit, mate, I didn't mean it like that. Just, you and me, we don't have the magic messing with us, we can see things clearly." He paused. "Well, I could, I don't know what Liam's bond is doing to me now."

Zayn still looked unsure so Niall gave him a quick kiss and simply said, "I know you love us." Zayn coughed awkwardly but he finally smiled so Niall took it as a positive reaction. "I love you too, you know that, right?"

This time Zayn blushed and looked away and fidgeted awkwardly, making Niall doubt everything he thought he knew about him. "Really?" Niall asked, not getting it.

"I'm just not really… Louis is the energetic one, I'm just…" He shook his head like he couldn't think of what it was he _just_ was and Niall thought that was really appropriate.

"Wow, if Louis heard you now he would _cry_. I know you're the quiet one, but you're usually the one who gets us all, so I have no idea where this is coming from." Okay, he could maybe see how being abandoned by a ghost who pretended to be your father for years would leave a person with some issues; but Zayn was always so good at understanding them, Niall had started assuming Zayn knew all of their thoughts and feelings. He would have to work on that.

"I know you all really like Louis, even Liam, or especially Liam, and I thought maybe I was just there."

Niall couldn't help but laugh. "Oh mate, no. If I was going for you for just _one_ reason, it would be your face. Seriously, get Louis to give you a mirror, you'll be amazed." He ignored Zayn's adorable frown. "But I actually want to be with you because you're a great person. Trust me on this. And you're brilliant at sex. Seriously."

He wished he were more of a poet but that was all he could give Zayn. He didn't know how to put into words how much it meant when Zayn made an effort to understand them, even when it was difficult, or when he talked to them calmly when everything was a blur of panic. He was, basically, a warm, loving hug, and Niall didn't want to say that because he would melt away in embarrassment. So he hoped his explanation would be enough.

"I am great at sex," Zayn finally said.

It was maybe supposed to be funny but all Niall could do was nod seriously.

-

The walk was long but eventually, just as the sun was getting really high, they made it to Harry's "castle." Zayn stood there and stared at it, eyes wide. He probably realized it was the house from Harry's story.

"That is a huge house."

"Yeah, I'm not surprised anyone would call it a castle."

Zayn tilted his head. "I think it's a villa. I read about them once, I think that's what it is."

"Ohhh. That makes sense," Niall said.

"So why are we here?"

Niall took Zayn inside and started leading him through the house, looking around at the ruined windows and broken furniture and trees growing through the floors.

"Liam is thinking. About that woman who wants to be turned and about staying longer. Maybe, maybe for a really long time."

Zayn took his hand as they walked over a bit of broken ceiling and squeezed hard. "You know we want that, all of us."

"Yeah. But things aren't that simple for Liam. And honestly, maybe they wouldn't have been for me either, if not for this week with my family."

"You have been very quiet about that."

"I just realized there's a reason I am where I am, I guess."

"Did something happen?" Zayn sounded worried.

"Nothing, actually, that was kind of the problem."

Zayn hummed so Niall tried to explain himself better. "I'm not trying to be cryptic, it's just that they are my family and I don't want to shit on them."

This time Zayn nodded. They were by the stairs leading up but they didn't dare take them, the whole house looked too fragile. They were still holding hands.

"The thing is, if we stay, I want to do something. When we were on the run, I heard, a few times, about creatures like us, in trouble and scared and with no place to go."

He looked at Zayn, not wanting to say _like you were_ but it was probably clear.

"And humans are spreading around faster than we can keep track of, there are so few places as protected as this forest is. I thought I could make it a safe place, if Harry wouldn't mind. I wouldn't take a lot of it, just this house, maybe down to the river so we have water too."

"You can't do this alone."

Niall knew Zayn would figure out all of his problems quickly.

"No, I would need everyone. But I don't know… do you think it's a good idea?"

Zayn swallowed and clenched around Niall's hand quickly. "Yeah, I think it's brilliant."

His voice was a little broken and Niall wondered, not for the first time, if there was a wound in Zayn he should be healing.

"You know… you can tell me anything, right?" he simply ended up asking, giving Zayn the opportunity to back out any way he wanted to.

"I don't talk about it. Maybe someday, but not yet."

Niall bit his lip and didn't argue.

"So." Zayn shook his head, like he was shaking away the bad memories. "Why the house?"

"I think it's practical for everyone? Those who grew up with humans, in houses, and those who prefer to sleep outside… There's grass, there's forest, there's a river close by… It has pretty much everything."

Zayn nodded. "Yeah, I can see it. I think, when you both decide, you should tell the others. They'll love it."

Niall smiled and rocked on the balls of his feet a little in excitement. He had so many ideas, he didn't know where to start.

They stayed there a while longer, talking and making plans before they headed back, still hand in hand.

**

** Liam **

Being bonded with Niall was the best thing Liam had felt in his entire life. Not just because it separated him from his family, but more literally, he felt like Niall's happiness became a part of him. It didn't have to change him, but it allowed him to smile faster, laugh easier. He liked the way it eased his rigid, suspicious nature.

And he liked the way it made Louis glare at him every time he laughed.

Louis spent most of the day glaring at him anyway, because Niall took Zayn, Liam wasn't making any announcements and Harry alone wasn't enough to calm him.

In fact, Harry seemed to enjoy Louis' agitated pinching and slapping even when they weren't having sex and more importantly, when they weren't even going to have sex.

Liam shook his head and carved another leg with a turned around foot - they were really hard to figure out - until Louis gave up on Harry and tried to jump him instead.

Liam _felt_ it, though, when Louis' focus switched to him. Not an instinct or peripheral vision, but Louis' … fear, inside himself.

He opened one arm wide enough that Louis had to fall into him, like a very violent hug, when he literally jumped on Liam. Louis was obviously confused but he recovered quickly and went straight for Liam's nipples. Liam grabbed both his hands with one of his own and hugged him with his free arm. He felt teeth on his collarbone, the last attempt to get a reaction out of him.

"Just wait until Niall and Zayn are here, okay? This is about them too."

"I don't understand what's so hard about this, you either want to stay or you don't." Louis' voice was petulant but Liam felt him now in a way he wished he could have from the start. Maybe it would have made things easier.

"It's not just that, I have to tell you all something and I really want Zayn and Niall here for it."

"Is it bad?" Louis mumbled into his neck.

"I don't think so."

"That's not comforting."

Liam had to laugh and it caused another irritated grumble from the dragon.

"Please?" Liam asked.

Louis sighed and stopped asking, but he was still aggressive and loud until he heard Zayn and Niall coming. Then he ran towards them and ordered them to come on over because Liam was a big baby who needed all the attention. Liam was glad to see he wasn't the only one finding that funny as hell, coming from Louis.

Niall looked at him with a crooked smile and Liam understood the question. He just rolled his eyes and nodded. Niall's grin was blinding.

They all sat down and looked at him, excited, and he heard Harry mutter "group meeting" in the silence. He ignored it. It was not a group meeting.

"I wanted to explain something first because I think it's a bit… intimate and you didn't get a say in it and I know that's not fair."

Liam wasn't sure when he started trusting them all enough that that became the problem, and not the fact that the bond gave them the same power it gave his family, to hurt him.

"You all asked how it was possible for me to bond with just one person, when I needed more, and apparently, I didn't bond with just Niall. It's different, not the same intensity, that's why it took me a while to figure it out, but, you're all my pack now."

He didn't have time to be awkward about any of it because even as Louis' surprise became clear, Harry was falling on Liam with full force, laughing and hugging him. "I thought I felt something but it's so weak I wasn't sure and there are so many lines now, between you two and Louis and everyone that it was just so hard to pick out."

He was talking in his usual slow voice but so excited and happy, it took Liam a while to catch up to his actual words.

"Wait, what do you mean Louis and everyone?" He looked suspiciously at the dragon who was flailing at Zayn as if asking for help.

"Oh," Harry said. "I'm sorry, was that a secret?" he asked in a voice so innocent Liam absolutely knew he did it on purpose.

"Louis?" Niall was asking.

"It's not a big deal," Louis said.

"Sounds like a big deal," Liam said at the same time as Zayn was saying, "It's a really big deal."

"It's not the same, though, it's not a pack, it's just dragon stuff." He waved a hand dismissing it all and this time it was Niall who stopped him, a smile on his face.

"Louis, are we all your treasure?"

Louis frowned and shrugged.

Liam moved quickly, using a bit of werewolf speed, to sit down next to Louis. "Holy shit, Louis, that _is_ a big deal."

"I still don't know what _holy shit_ means," Harry said quietly to Niall.

Liam saw that Louis was about to skip to Harry's "problem", so he reached out quickly and pinched Louis' nipple. It got him a yelp and a slap on the hand but Louis' attention was back on him. Liam was starting to see the appeal.

"Of course we're staying, Louis, I just wanted to tell everyone about the stupid bond first, I don't want it coming up later, and you all to think that that's why we stayed. It's not."

"Then why are you?" Louis asked.

"I guess," Liam thought about it, "the easiest answer would be because we love you. All of you." Louis wasn't smirking at him for once and that made it easier to continue "But we think we started making a life here too, in this short time." He looked at Niall for confirmation.

"I have plans," Niall said, "they will involve you all, if you agree, and I think we all fit together well, taking care of each other, in every way. We work."

Liam nodded and he saw Harry do the same. Zayn was just looking at Louis, communicating something Liam couldn't understand.

"Ugh, stop looking at me, Zayn, they know I love them," Louis shouted and fell on his back dramatically; making Niall laugh, of course. "They probably have no idea you do, though. You're always so quiet, you should show them your drawings, they will never again think you're shy after that."

They all turned to Zayn who was, for the first time since they'd met him, blushing. Harry started giggling which only made Zayn blush harder.

"Zayn!" Niall gasped, faking shock. "Have you been drawing us naked!? Is that the art you go off all alone to make?"

"Stop making it sound like I'm wanking to them, it's just drawings."

Liam pouted. "And you've never wanked to them? I'm sorry. Did we do something wrong? Do you need more angles?"

Harry jumped up at that. "We can do better, Zayn!"

Zayn just groaned and covered his face with his hands. "Please stop, I hate you all."

"Nah," Niall said. "You love us."

-

"Hey, hey, jump from there to the tree!" Louis yelled at Niall who was crouching high on the roof of the villa, fixing the tiles.

Niall smiled, shrugged and then did it, like it was no big deal covering the meters between the roof and the forest. Liam's heart thumped once loudly and not even Zayn's laughter calmed him down.

"Would you stop making him do stupid things!?" he yelled at Louis.

"Not as long as he keeps doing them!" Louis laughed at his own witty reply, but yelped when Niall landed on top of him, finally jumping down from the tree.

"Niall, really," Liam shook his head at him sadly but relaxed when Harry hugged him from behind.

"I think dragons and leprechauns weren't meant to spend so much time together," Harry said.

"Certainly not around me."

"I'm done!" Zayn called out to them.

Liam ran to his side to look at the painting. On the side of the villa, under a tall line of windows, there had been blank white space Zayn had claimed for himself. Cartoonish versions of themselves were looking back at them from the wall now. Louis was in his dragon form, his tail swirling between the windows, Niall was standing on Harry's shoulders reaching for Louis' hand, a disaster waiting to happen, and Zayn was laughing at them, petting Liam in his ‘wolf form.

"It's amazing," Liam said and Zayn shrugged but grinned a happy smile before he turned away to hide it. Liam ran over to kiss his cheek because Zayn was ridiculously self conscious about his art for no reason at all, he was incredible and should know it.

Niall walked over to the drawing and waited for Zayn to nod at him quickly before he placed his palms against the wall. The figures started moving, not a lot, but enough to see Niall and Harry about to topple over and Zayn reaching out to try and help them, hopelessly. Louis looked down at them and waved his tail, clearly mocking.

Liam loved it so much.

"You should draw something on me," he told Zayn.

"Like a tattoo?"

"What's a tattoo?" Harry asked.

"It's a picture on your body that's kinda permanent," Niall explained.

"Oh, I want one of those. Something to do with the forest. Or water. Or both," Harry was frowning in thought now and Liam couldn't help but smile fondly. He could imagine Harry getting dozens and changing his mind about them constantly.

"These wouldn't have to be permanent, you could make them stick and then remove them if we wanted, couldn't you?" Liam asked Niall.

"I can try," Niall shrugged.

"Rain," Harry suddenly said.

"I don't think that'd make for a great image," Zayn said but Harry shook his head and looked up just in time for the first drops to start falling.

Harry stayed in the spot, letting the cold rain wash over him while the others ran under the roof.

They weren't living in the villa, Harry could never, and the rest of them were used to the soft grass or warm dirt under their skin, they were just fixing it up for their first guest.

Gulsum, after talking to Liam and Niall had decided to let Liam turn her and train her. Louis would fly her over in a few days. Naiba would visit but she couldn't leave her own forest for too long so they probably just needed one room, but Niall said they would have to fix the whole place up eventually anyway.

It was mostly done. The roof was almost finished, the floors were solid again and the walls were whole. Everything that was left was decorative. They used magic for a lot of the work but Laim actually liked the physical work. Laying bricks and painting or breaking down the walls and carrying the trash out. It felt good, when he was done, to see the result.

Now, with the house looking whole and almost new again, it was good to settle into a chair under the roof and watch naked Harry soak up the rain.

He heard the desperate noise Louis was making, same one he always made when Harry did this and it had him readjusting in his seat, watching Louis so desperate but not willing to disturb. Liam found out that he loved pushing and prodding Louis, but in moments like these Louis couldn't really focus on anything but Harry. So Liam just grabbed his hand hard to ground him a little and smiled across at Niall doing the same.

Zayn smirked at them all and went inside to make sure Niall's latest changes to the roof were standing up against the rain.

It was all domestic, familiar. But more than that, he could feel all of them now, all the time, a constant flow of emotions from and to each other. Harry's pleasure was a warm tingle in his heart and Louis' need was a fire in his belly. Niall's happiness was his own and Zayn's peace a sleepy stretch in his arms. They were all a part of him, in a way that he couldn't remember his family ever being, even before it all went to pieces.

When he thought about everything he lost, Liam couldn't see it as a disappointment. It felt like a necessity to get to what he had now. And he sometimes regretted not being able to have both, but then, none of them had everything they wanted. What really mattered was that they had each other.

**Author's Note:**

> Title is by Ed Sheeran, don't look at me. 
> 
> So, the child abuse tag and the trigger tag are connected. They refer to past physical and psychological abuse. The description isn't explicit, in my opinion, but is described in some detail at one point. Also, after witnessing something violent a person gets triggered and reminded of the abuse and then he blames himself for being triggered. Btw, if you're reading this after reading the story - his thoughts as he goes through it are his own, not mine.  
> Which brings me to the violence tag: a person is magically physically tortured by their family, there are scars. 
> 
> Regarding the BDSM tag, there is a lot of undernegotiated kink going on. Well, it's implied two characters have been together long enough to discuss it but very little is talked about in fic. Limits are only pushed badly once, when a character forgets his magic and forces another into honesty, but nothing else. There is a lot of pain kink (including dick biting and marking, I'm not kidding around here :) ) and obedience, some orgasm control...
> 
> Disclaimer that none of this is real, if one is needed and I am really, really sorry to the families I turned into bad people here.


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